The Years Beyond
by Shada Nada
Summary: Did you ever wonder how Harry grew up? If he had children? What life was like for his children? If so, then voila, here's the story for you. It's a story about Harry's daughter, although The-Man-Who-Lived himself will make frequent appearances.
1. Prolouge

**The Years Beyond**

**Disclaimer: **Throughout this entire story, keep in mind that the entire world of which I speak of belongs to J.K. Rowling and that many of the characters themselves do, as well.

**Prologue**

Green eyes reflected a life of pain once borne, of suffering once known. Round spectacles covered them, not managing to conceal their brilliance in the least. Jet black hair stuck up in every which way, and a bemused smile played upon Harry's face as he leaned against the doorway, looking at his wife with unconcealed fascination. As if she had sensed his presence, quiet though he may have been, her eyes rose from the photo album she had been looking at to meet his, and the two shared a smile. She put a motioned for him to take a seat beside her on the couch, and he willingly obliged, coming up and putting an arm around her. She leaned against him and closed her eyes, snuggling up to him as she had done many times before while she shoved the book away to accommodate him. He planted a kiss on her head and suddenly, the traces of pain that had been in his eyes seemed to drown under a wave of happiness and contentment, the smile that played on his lips now a full-fledged grin.

"I love you," he said quietly.

Her head lifted in order to look up at him, brushing her red hair out of her deep brown eyes as she smiled at him.

"I love you too, Harry," she sighed happily, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

He traced her cheek gently as they parted, still grinning. And he had a reason to. He was alive. The fact of life in itself is extraordinary, but never so much so, perhaps, as for Harry. Of course, there were other things that accounted for his happiness. Foremost on his mind at the moment was his wife of three years, Ginny Weasley - now known as Ginny Potter. Looking at her, memories of fumbling awkwardness and shy smiles filled his mind. That had been life at sixteen for him. Next, during his seventh year, had come the sweet kisses – still mixed with awkwardness, mind you. And from there, their relationship had blossomed. That wasn't to say that they were the only ones, of course. His two best friends, Ron and Hermione, had found a life and love of their own – of course, this life and love took place next door. None of them would have it any other way. He remembered how he had thought that standing up on that altar and taking Ginny to be his wife had been the single, most terrifying moment of his life. It had frightened him even more than when he had had his final battle with Voldemort – and ended up in St. Mungo's for a good six months. He had been sure that nothing could ever match up to the fear and excitement of standing up there and pledging his life to his wife.

He was wrong.

That had been before the big three words. No, not 'I love you'. Those were a piece of cake, now that he really thought about it. As far as the most terrifying words he had ever heard, two phrases came to mind. 'Harry, I'm pregnant' was one of them. The next set of words were far, far worse. 'It's time.' Nothing had prepared him – nothing ever could have prepared him – for childbirth. And he hadn't even been the one experiencing it, really.

_Flashback _

_Harry paced the room, running his hands repeatedly through his hair until he was certain it was going to fall out. He heard Ginny give a cry from the adjoining room, and it was all Hermione could do to reassure him._

"_Really, Harry, she's fine," she comforted, "Pain is part of giving birth."_

"_Right, right," he had muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets only to take them out and run them through his hair again. _

_He would never forget the smirk on Ron's face. The nerve of his best friend, to sit there holding his own newborn as if nothing was wrong. Just as he was about to tell him off, a scream of pain pierced the room. He vaulted towards the door, and Hermione, in turn, vaulted towards his hand._

"_Harry, she's fine!" she began._

"_She's not fine, she's dying!" he roared, "Can't you hear her?"_

"_Harry, she's not dying, she's-"Hermione began, but it was too late._

_He burst through the door and vaulted to Ginny's bedside, nearly sending the mediwitch attending her into a dead faint. As he tried to explain that he was her husband, Ginny reached out with another scream and grabbed his hand, enfolding it in such a hard grip that he gave a yelp of surprise._

"_HARRY POTTER!" she roared, her voice ten times louder than he could ever make his, "I'M NEVER DOING IT WITH YOU AGAIN!"_

_She gave another scream of pain and wrenched his arm to her chest as she clutched at it, now squeezing with both of her hands._

"_IN FACT, YOU CAN – AHH – SLEEP ON THE COUCH FROM NOW ON! THIS IS _ALL _YOUR FAULT!"_

"_I'm sorry," he had apologized sincerely._

_All that had gotten from her was the beginning of a laugh, followed by another scream. Conversation ceased, since she was now screaming her head off without a pause, making for a very nervous Harry. He didn't' care that his hand was being cut off entirely from its circulation; all he cared about was Ginny. He repeatedly asked the mediwitch if she was okay, but all the irritated nurse would do was mutter about amateur husbands. And suddenly there came a triumphant "AHA!" from the direction of the nurse, and Ginny fell limp and silent. Her lack of noise was filled in by the sound of a baby crying. _His _baby crying. _Harry_ looked from Ginny to the nurse expectantly. Ginny looked about ready to pass out, but the nurse was beaming._

"_Mr. and Mrs. Potter," she said, "Meet your new daughter."_

_With that, she had revealed a baby that was still slightly bloody and gory, and Ginny gave a squeal of delight, stretching out her hands for the baby. The nurse performed a quick spell that cleaned it all up, and handed it to Ginny after wrapping it in clean, white linen. Harry had been frozen the entire time, his hand falling to his side when Ginny let go of it. He stared at the baby, who had silenced at once when placed in Ginny's arms and was staring at her. If he had had any doubts about who the father of the baby had been – which he hadn't, of course – but if he had, they would have all been put to rest right then. Emerald green eyes sparkled vibrantly, and a small tuft of black hair was visible. It was him all over again. Except, he reminded himself, in girl form._

"_Kayla," Ginny whispered, lifting her eyes to meet his._

_He didn't know how she could speak in light of the amazing bundle she was holding in her arms – his throat was dry just by looking at it. They had decided on names beforehand, but they hadn't known if it was to be a boy or a girl. He nodded slowly, and Ginny spoke again._

"_Kayla Lily," she added._

_He felt a lump rise in his throat, and he opened his mouth to speak, his voice raspy. "Kayla Lily," he agreed._

"_Hold her."_

_And that had been the most frightening order he had ever been given. He reached out his shaking arms, and Ginny placed the bundle within them. He stared down at the baby, emerald meeting emerald, and then, freeing one of his arms, he presented his index finger to it. With no thought at all, the small creature reached up and grabbed a hold without even seeming to look at it. Oh no, his daughter's eyes were focused on him. He had heard that babies had unfocused vision when they were first born, but he was quite certain that his daughter could see him as clearly as he could her._

"_I love you, Kayla," he whispered, finding that his eyes were suddenly threatening to spill._

_How could he feel such love, such devotion, to one that had just come into the world a few minutes ago? He heard a sob and looked up to see Ginny crying – tears of joy. She reached out for the little girl, and Harry gingerly presented her with the baby that she had worked so hard to conceive._

"_I love you, Ginny," he added gently._

_A smile lit her face through her tears, and she reached out with one arm to pull his head into the crook of her neck, where they stayed for quite a few minutes, staring down at the bundle of life that was theirs. Harry knew that his life would never be the same._

_End Flashback _

He jumped as the sound of crying from the upstairs bedroom reached his ears. Far from being annoyed, it was music to his ears. It was the sound of a life that he was going to do his damned best to keep stable and steady. He lifted his head up off of Ginny's, and the two looked at each other. A mischievous smirk crossed over her face, and he soon mirrored it.

"Diaper," he declared confidently.

She gave a cry of outrage. "You're crazy, that's her hungry cry!"

"Is not!" he practically yelled, jumping off of the couch.

"Is too!" she retorted, mimicking his actions, "I'll bet you ten kisses!"

"I bet you fifteen!" he retorted.

They set off for the stairs at a run, both of them having dissolved into laughter by that point. The sound of them thundering up the stairs probably sounded like more of a stampede than the sound of comfort to the baby, but they were on their way just the same. Panting, Harry nearly slammed into the nursery door before opening it with such gentleness that one would have thought the baby was sleeping rather than crying. Ginny tiptoed in behind him, and they both peered over the lid of the bassinet at the same time. The baby stopped crying almost instantly, instead becoming reduced to hiccupping sobs.

"Come here, sweetie," Ginny cooed, picking her up and resting her on her shoulder.

Harry walked up and pulled the backside of her diaper out, blocking Ginny's view with his own head. He conducted a thorough investigation – well, as thorough as one can get while keeping a safe distance and avoiding any contact with the contents that may have lain within the diaper – before giving a disappointed sigh.

"Fine, you win," he grumbled, "Empty diaper."

"Ha!" Ginny exclaimed triumphantly, "I believe you owe me fifteen kisses. And don't you think I'm going to forget!"

"Oh trust me, I won't," Harry replied mischievously, grinning and winking at her.

She giggled, and at that moment the doorbell rang, canceling anything Harry may have been planning once they were done feeding the baby. Or rather, since he was incapable of breastfeeding, once Ginny was done feeding the baby.

"Drat it, who invited those Weasleys over," he said in mock annoyance, causing Ginny to giggle once more.

"I believe it was you, sweetie," she reminded him.

He merely grinned at her as he turned and headed back down the stairs in order to let Ron, Hermione, and their recent addition into the house. He slowed as he reached mid-staircase, his eyes catching a picture hanging on the wall. It was him and Ginny on their first date, and they were looking at each other with shy smiles, Harry offering a rose to a blushing Ginny. And he saw his own, sixteen year old eyes looking haunted and empty, devoid of all emotion except for one spark – the spark that had only occurred when he was with Ginny. But seeing his eyes like that caused a sudden and inexplicable panic to rise up in him. He ran back up the stairs and into the hallway until he came level with the mirror, and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his own green eyes twinkling merrily back at him. Sometimes, bouts of panic such as those rose up in him for no particular reason – as if he were afraid that time would rewind itself and he would be stuck in the period of hopelessness and emptiness he had once been in. It was times like these that he ignored the doorbell ringing repeatedly as he listened to Ginny talk softly to their baby in the other room. He could make out her gentle words when he listened closely.

"I love you, my darling," she was saying, "No harm will come to you, my sweet, because I love you."

She proceeded to begin to sing a lullaby, not even seeming to notice that the doorbell was now ringing nonstop. Harry did notice, however, and vaulted down the stairs at breakneck speed in order to open the door.

"What took you so long, mate?" Ron grumbled, although a grin was on his face.

Harry looked from tall, red-haired Ron to petite, businesslike Hermione before transferring his gaze to the bundle in her arms. It promised to have Hermione's bushy brown hair and Ron's clear blue eyes.

"Earth to Harry," Ron was saying, waving an arm in front of his face, "Gee, you've got one of your own, you know."

"Yeah," Harry said, now grinning from ear to ear, "I know."

He met his friend's gazes, and they all grinned at each other, babies momentarily forgotten.

"Missed you."

The sentiment would have been nice, coming from Harry, but Ron missed the sentimentality.

"Are you bloody insane? You just saw us an hour ago when you came over to drop off that book for 'Mione!"

Hermione gave an impatient 'tuh', apparently annoyed at Ron for having missed something so obvious. It took Ron a few seconds as he looked, puzzled, down at Hermione, but suddenly realization dawned in his eyes.

"_Oh_," he said slowly, "I mean...I missed you too, Harry."

For a moment, the three of them just stared at each other. The next, they all burst out laughing, thoroughly frightening Ron and Hermione's new daughter, who began to scream in a most terrified manner. Hermione, however, was nearly doubled up with laughter, and unable to comfort her daughter. But that was the last thing on any of their minds as they engaged in a delicate three way hug so as to not crush the wailing bundle.

**Author's Note: **Alright, everyone, what you have just read is a prologue. This takes place before the actual story, if you need a definition. If you liked it, I'm delighted. But this story isn't going to be about grown-up Harry's life, really. It's going to be more about his daughter and her years at Hogwarts, to tell the truth. So, if you're looking for a story from Harry's point of view, this isn't it. If you're looking for a story where it's all about Harry, this isn't it, although he will show up quite often. If you're looking for a story that's new and different while still following the rules of J.K.'s universe, congratulations...you've found it.


	2. Letters Lead to Shopping

**Chapter One – Letters Lead to Shopping**

There was something interesting about that house. No matter what way someone was to look at it, it was just unusual. The neighbors were often caught debating on whether or not that was a bad thing; some thought a little diversity could never hurt. Others, however, were more suspicious. Those such people were prone to ask questions such as, "Haven't you seen the walls of their living room? Red. Bright red.With a huge _lion_ on the far wall. It's a disgrace for them to open their curtains!" Some argued that this added individuality, and that lions weren't particularly dislikeable creatures. There were other things that were strange about the house, too, though. There was no mailbox, for instance. And the lawn was intentionally mowed only once in a very long while. Not to mention the visitors – such visitors one never did see! But nobody would dare say a word to the house's occupants. Lovelier people one never did meet, said talk around the neighborhood. Especially the man of the house. Nobody ever criticized Harry Potter and his family directly, oh no. To do so would be cause for the rest of the neighborhood to turn on you. For Harry Potter and his family were one of the finest that lived on Crescent Drive, and nobody was keen on losing them anytime soon.

The man himself, they said, was one of the most intriguing people one could ever meet. Sure, he was polite and charming, but it was so much more than that that drew them in. Most people couldn't put a finger on it, and some went so far as to say that his eyes alone were enough to draw a person in. Such eyes one never did see; eyes that told a story as if through a movie strangely muted. Details of his past were unknown; the child had never been anything spectacular, they said, and some even mentioned hearing rumors that he had been a criminal! But nobody could ever imagine Harry Potter doing such a thing. He was just too...likeable. His wife, Ginny, was just as pleasing. She was something of a socialite, and although there were rumors that she had once been confused on how to work an oven, these were soon cleared up and disregarded. No, Ginny Potter was just as charming and lovely as her husband, and everyone loved them both. And then there was the child. Nobody was sure quite how to describe Kayla Potter, but they were all somehow sure of one thing. She was her father's daughter.

Kayla Potter herself was oblivious to these rumors, as was her entire family. Truth be told, they didn't pay much attention to their neighbors, except for the ones directly on their left. Their interesting choice of decoration, however, wasn't the only thing that set them apart. They operated much differently from regular families. For one thing, they never used their telephone. Instead, their most common method of communication was their fireplace. They were no ordinary family – on the contrary, they were a wizarding family. Kayla had long been a part of the wonderful world of wizardry, and loved every minute of it. The reason why, of course, was because of how exciting it all was. She thrived on tales of adventure and action, longing to have a few of her own one day. True, many children would consider growing up in a family where magic was used left and right an adventure, but Kayla was sure there was more to it.

Now, as she lay peacefully under her covers, the rays of the morning sun threatened to awaken her as they scattered themselves across her bed. She looked to be nothing more than a small lump in the bedding, excepting her hair. It was easily notable in contrast to the white sheets; jet black and curled into small, springy ringlets and spread across the pillow as if it had simply exploded. Her face was partially obscured by this, but underneath it lay a small face, eyes closed peacefully and a smattering of freckles running across her nose. Her mouth was partially open as she slept, and one hand lay on the pillow before her. She had no way of seeing the two figures standing in the doorway, their arms around one another as they surveyed her and spoke softly to each other. But the sun persisted in its quest to wake her, and soon she found snatches of her parent's conversation reaching her ears.

"Naw, Gin, don't wake her up," she heard her father protesting, "She's so...peaceful."

"Are you saying that for her sake or yours?" was her mother's teasing reply.

She heard her father chuckle as he replied, "I say it for all of our sanity, darling."

"I heard that," Kayla informed him groggily, eyes fluttering open to meet her father's gaze with something akin to accusation.

Immediately he put on his most innocent face, giving her a disarming grin. "Morning, sweetheart," he said cheerily. She closed her eyes once more in response, ready for some more sleep before she spoke any further.

"No you don't," came her father's voice, "Up!"

"Why?" she mumbled incoherently into her pillow, very surprised when her mother seemed to have understood it anyway.

"Because we're meeting up with the gang today," she replied, and then, in response to Kayla's groan, "You'll have lots of fun, sweetie, promise. We're meeting in Diagon Alley."

For a moment, Kayla considered getting out of bed. Almost immediately afterwards she decided against it. She gave a groan and put her pillow over her head, and heard her mother and father laugh simultaneously. It was a bit unnerving how they tended to do that so often.

"Up, sleepyhead, unless you want to set out without breakfast," her father instructed.

The next thing she heard was the gentle click of her door being closed as her parents exited. She rolled over onto her back, putting a hand up in protest to the bright sun. She wasn't sure if she was in the mood to meet up with the 'gang' or not, but she figured that she may as well get out of bed if she wanted to grab breakfast before doing so. The 'gang' referred to many people, including the members of the former Order of the Phoenix, a few of her parent's old school friends, and usually, it included the whole of the Weasley clan. As she stumbled out of bed and began to rummage through her closet for clothes, she knew that she probably _would _end up having fun, no matter how much it pained her to get out of bed. After tugging on a pair of jeans and a pink tank top, she paused for a visit in front of the mirror. As she had suspected (and dreaded) her hair was sticking up in every which way, the stubborn flyaway curls giving her a look as if she had just stuck her finger into an electrical socket. She gave a burdened sigh before picking up her brush and wetting it, preparing for the daily fight she waged with her hair. In a few minutes, her hair had been tamed to a still unruly-looking bundle of curls that fell down to just past her shoulders. She didn't think it looked particularly wonderful, but her hair never had, really, so she gave up at that. Being eleven years old, her hair wasn't exactly at the top of her priority list, either. She took one last glance in the mirror, frowned at her freckles, and tugged on her trainers as she hopped down the stairs.

The smell of her mother's cooking was making her mouth water long before she reached the bottom, and once her shoes were firmly onto her feet, she broke into a trot the rest of the way down and into the kitchen. As usual, her mother was standing at the stove, tending to the eggs. She liked the fact that her mother cooked the 'muggle' (non-magical) way for the simple reason that it made breakfast seem all the more worthwhile. The curtains were open in order to give the neighbors a clear view of her mother acting 'normal', and every so often somebody walking by would wave, and her mother would pause and return the gesture, beaming. What the neighbors couldn't see, however, was the fireplace in the corner, where her father was currently engaging in a conversation with one of his friends – or rather, one of his friend's heads. She stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at whoever was in the fire, and caught sight of her favorite uncle – or one of them, at least. He caught sight of her, as well, and his face broke into an even wider grin.

"Ho, ho!" he exclaimed, "What's my Kay doing up so early?"

She placed the voice easily as she jumped towards the fireplace at her father's invitational gesture. "Mum and Dad woke me up," she pretended to complain, "You've gotta get 'em back for it, Uncle George!"

"Will do!" her uncle replied cheerfully, winking at her, "I'm sure Fred and I got a few things that'll work quite nicely."

Kayla gave a giggle, and both she and her father looked ready to reply when they were interrupted by a tap at the window – the very same whose curtains were open in order for a 'normal' view. In fact, the scene would be rather abnormal for anyone watching. A tawny brown owl was tapping on their window with it's beak, a letter tied around it's leg. Her mother only had to lean forward a bit in order to open it, but a most peculiar thing happened when she reached out her hand to accept the letter. It flew past her and headed not for Kayla's father, but for her. It hovered in front of her importantly, holding out its leg in a dignified manner. Kayla didn't touch it, but rather leaned forward and read out the words: "Miss Kayla Potter, Kitchen, Number 12 Crescent Drive." She then looked up at her father and mother questioningly, but their voices weren't the ones that answered.

"Well, go on then," her uncle prompted impatiently.

A slight smile on her face, she took the letter, ignoring whatever the seal in the upper right hand corner had been a picture of, and opened it. She withdrew a letter and unfolded it rather timidly. She wasn't accustomed to getting letters, really, and she couldn't see who could have sent her one. As she read, her eyes began to widen as she realized who had.

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
__Headmistress: Audra Moore_

Dear Miss Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no longer than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,  
_Minerva McGonagall  
_Deputy Headmistress

Kayla's eyes scanned and re-scanned the paper, whilst her heart felt about to burst. It was often that her father and mother told her tales of their days at Hogwarts – tales of wondrous things, tales of things that excited her so much she could simply throw her head back and laugh with delight at the thought. Evading teachers when they snuck out after hours, getting into trouble and making a narrow and impressive escape, not to mention the stories her father had. Oh, the stories! She knew that she would never be able to do anything as impressive as to take on someone like Voldemort, but all the same, she thought her father had experienced much more of a good life than he gave it credit for. She couldn't understand why he flatly refused to tell her some of the stories, saying that she wouldn't be able to handle it until she was older, but the look on his face when he said so had always made her obey. But now, she could make her own adventures. All the stories of adventure and wonder that she had heard from her parents – all that was to be hers! She didn't realize that she was jumping up and down on the spot until the smell of burnt eggs that meant her mother had neglected to her cooking reached her nose, and her father interrupted her reverie.

"Well?" he demanded.

"I'm going," she whispered reverently in reply, holding the letter out towards him but dancing away before he could grab a hold of it. Already dreams and schemes of the exciting life she was going to have danced before her eyes, making her feel both terribly excited and terribly nervous.

"Going where?" her mother asked curiously, watching her daughter with barely concealed amusement.

"Where do you think?" George roared suddenly from the fireplace, beaming from ear-to-ear, "She's gotten her Hogwarts letter!"

Kayla had expected the effect to be her mother breaking into delighted squeals and her father lifting her up and swinging her about his head like he always did when he was happy. She didn't get what she expected. Her father and her mother slowly turned to look at each other, and then, as if they were each thinking exactly the same thing at the same moment, their eyes traveled in unison to Kayla's discarded envelope. Her father slowly reached out and picked it up, her mother scurrying to see over his shoulder, and Kayla watched with a mixture of fascination and curiosity as he examined the seal at some length. Neither of her parents said a word until George cleared his throat, looking just as puzzled as Kayla.

"That _was_ her Hogwarts letter, wasn't it?" he asked pointedly.

"Yes," the three Potters replied in unison.

What followed was an awkward silence during which Kayla exchanged a questioning glance with her uncle, broken finally by her father's voice. "Merlin be damned."

"Harry!" her mother hissed disapprovingly, glaring at him as she began to magically restore the eggs to an edible position.

While neither of her parents seemed worried, and her uncle merely shocked, Kayla was purely fretful. Why weren't her parents happy? They _were_ going to let her go, weren't they? There was no way they couldn't. They knew how much she wanted to go, how much she had always wanted to go – but why weren't they doing something other than looking as if the world had ended? Her father rose and walked up to her, looking as serious as she had ever seen him. He removed the letter from her hands and tossed it carelessly onto the table. Her gaze followed it, but he lifted her chin so that she was looking him in the face and placed his hands on her shoulders. He looked at her for a long time, and she looked back. She witnessed, out of the corner of her eye, both her mother and uncle watching interestedly. When she focused on her father again, he was looking at her with the same serious expression, unwavering and with an emotion she couldn't read. When he spoke, it was quietly, but his voice seemed to boom across the room as if he were speaking into a microphone.

"Don't look at me like that, Kayla," he said gently, "You know I'll let you go."

Actually, she hadn't known. Relief coursed through her like a river, quickly to be replaced by worry. What was he looking at her like that for, then? He looked as if he were having a very difficult time forming words, something she rarely saw in him. Her Uncle Ron had once informed her that it used to be a very common occurrence, but she had never been able to picture it as such.

"You're so...I didn't realize...Kayla," he said helplessly, looking to her mother as if for support.

"I've told you," was all her mother said, glancing back at her father before beginning to dish out their breakfasts.

"What is it, Dad?" Kayla prodded, looking up at him imploringly.

He gave her an oddly helpless kind of look before speaking in almost a whisper. "You're so old."

For a moment, she wasn't quite sure how to respond. He was going crazy because she was old? That made no sense whatsoever. For starters, she was only eleven. She began to think of the other reasons, as well, but her father suddenly drew her into a hug. After a moment's thought, she returned it. He held her tightly, as if unwilling to let go, and after a few moments of hesitation during which she noticed that George had disappeared from the fireplace, she returned it with equal fierceness, squeezing her eyes shut as she did so. When she drew away, she was beyond relieved to see a smile on her father's face.

"Kayla," he said suddenly, "Kayla, do you realize what this means? _You're going to Hogwarts!_"

With that he let out a whoop of joy and lifted her up into the air, spinning her around as she had been hoping she would. When he set her down, there was an absurdly mischievous gleam in his eye as he did the same for her mother, causing her to shriek with laughter and threaten not to serve breakfast if he didn't put her down. With a kiss, he obliged, taking a seat and beginning to talk from the moment he did so.

"We'll get your school things today while we're in Diagon. Ginny!"

"Yes, darling?" her mother said serenely from across the table, winking at her daughter.

"She'll need robes, books, a cauldron, a wand, an owl-"

"I think everything she needs is on her list, dear."

"Oh. Right," her father agreed, sounding highly disappointed as he took a bite of scrambled egg.

Kayla was too deep in thought to take part in the conversation her parents then began on their own experiences shopping for school supplies. There seemed to be something secretive in their eyes in the way they spoke of some books in her mother's cauldron, but she paid it little notice. She was in euphoria. She didn't know why her father had temporarily gone insane, but she decided not to dwell on it. All she knew was that she was going to Hogwarts – it was a dream come true. Abandoning her breakfast completely, her emerald green eyes took on a dreamy, glazed expression as she stared off into space, a thousand questions already pouring through her mind. It came as a bit of a shock to her when her mother's voice penetrated her daydreams and brought her crashing to reality.

"Kayla, it's time to leave," she sang out.

Kayla's eyes widened as she looked around, regaining her bearings with effort. "Already?" she exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing a piece of her uneaten toast.

"Yes, already. Come now, your father's summoning the bus," her mother replied, smiling.

Kayla traveled outside with her mother, still too excited to do much. Upon exiting the house, she spotted her father, her aunt and uncle, and her cousin at the corner. Her relatives lived only next door, and she knew them nearly as well as her own family. Whilst her own family would have quite a job disguising the various signs that they were a wizarding family if muggles were to enter their house, the Weasleys, who lived next door, blended into the neighborhood perfectly. Each of their walls was a lovely pleasant shade of tan, and their furniture nothing out of the ordinary. Kayla's aunt had raised both her own daughter and Kayla to know the ways of the muggle world as well as the wizarding world, whilst her own parents didn't seem to think the former very important. Still, she was very happy that there were not going to be any muggle neighbors around to overhear their conversation whilst on the Knight Bus, since she very much wanted to explode with excitement. She bounded up the steps of the bus after her father, calling her cousin's name frantically but unable to see the other girl due to her father's figure directly in her way.

"Sonia! Sonia, _get_ over here!" she called over her father's shoulder.

"I can't, my mum won't let me!" her cousin complained.

Next came a variety of yelling back and forth, Kayla frantically trying to get the news that she had gotten her Hogwarts letter to her cousin while her Aunt Hermione said something remotely like 'You two will see each other when we sit down'. The only drawback was that it was very hard to hear over her cousin's protests, her Uncle Ron's attempts to mediate the affair, and her own parent's laughs. Finally her father turned, lifted her up, and swung her into a seat directly next to her cousin, who was making a face at her mother.

"Sonia," Kayla said again, poking her cousin in the arm, "_Guess what_?"

Her cousin turned to her, eyes growing wider when she saw the look on Kayla's face. Kayla had known Sonia for as long as she could remember, and vice versa. The two girls were often described as being like sisters, but the two knew that it could never be so. They looked to be complete opposites, for one. Sonia was tall and lanky, with light brown, slightly bushy hair and wide, light blue eyes that always seemed to hold a smile. Her skin was unblemished, a light porcelain shade that, whilst she complained of being too sensitive to the sun, seemed to make her face have a kind of glow. Now, at eleven years of age, Sonia looked as if she would be 'all elbows and knees', as her mother called it, but Kayla knew different. Even with her height advantage and skinniness, Sonia moved as gracefully as a ballerina, something Kayla envied. Kayla, on the other hand, was petite and unruly-looking, with flyaway black spirals that moved in every which direction whenever she so much as moved her head and bright emerald eyes that had the uncanny ability to portray her emotions. With her rambunctious personality, her looks only seemed to add to the conception that chaos followed her wherever she went. In all reality, they did; only they were self-caused chaos. She had a knack for knocking things over in excitement, which often either led to tripping or were caused by first doing so. The fact that she was nearly always excited over something didn't help much, either.

"What is it Kay?" her cousin was asking.

Kayla grinned widely, only spurred on by the fact that her aunt and uncle looked very curious, as well. "I got my Hogwarts letter!" she declared.

The sound of the two girls squealing may or may not have led to the way the bus jerked unsteadily as it rounded a corner, but it definitely had to do with the whoops of joy coming from the two girl's fathers. After they had finished being overly excited, they drew back and as Kayla began to babble excitedly, Sonia listened with an expression of interest on her face. Another thing that the girls lacked in common was their personalities. Sonia was always well-mannered and polite, with a refined, knowledgeable sense about her, whereas Kayla, while polite, somehow didn't seem to match up to her cousin. When Sonia said 'thank you', something about it just seemed right, and oftentimes Kayla's own manners made her feel clumsy when compared to her cousin's. Nevertheless, Sonia was oftentimes the only one Kayla could talk to, and therefore, she did so.

"...and today we're going to get my school supplies and since you got your letter last week we can get yours at the same time and we can _both_ have them and it's going to be so fun!" Kayla finished enthusiastically, her run-on sentence having gone on for quite some time.

"Yes, it will," Sonia agreed, a cheerful lilt to her voice.

Kayla nearly jumped in again, but paused at the sound of both sets of parents discussing Hogwarts.

"-this Moore gal, what have you heard about her?" her father was asking. Kayla realized that he was holding her letter in his hands, referring to the headmistress.

"Oh, she's absolutely delightful," Hermione volunteered, grabbing the attention of the other three adults and the two children.

"What do you know about her?" Ron demanded. His tone suggested feeling that he had been left out, and Kayla and Sonia didn't hesitate to giggle at it.

"Oh, relax," Hermione said, smiling at her husband reassuringly, "I've only heard things about her while at work. You see, we had a lady come in the other day who had a son at Hogwarts, a first year Hufflepuff, and he was getting bullied by some of the other children, you know. She called the boy and the bullies into her office and had a talk with them, and then excused the boy and worked out a kind of community service for the bully."

Kayla looked to her father for a reaction, to see that he looked slightly disgruntled. "Community service," he scoffed, "That wouldnt've stopped anyone in our day."

Hermione looked scandalized by the comment, whereas Ron and Kayla's mother seemed to agree with her father. "It's a perfectly wonderful alternative to signing Professor Lockhart's _fan mail_," she retorted, a hint of scathing in her voice.

This only brought on laughs from everyone, making her look even more outraged.

"Oh come off it, 'Mione," Ron said finally, putting an arm around her waist, "Community service's nothing – shoulda put him in a detention with Snape!"

"I better not hear of Kayla getting a detention with the old git," Harry growled, narrowing his eyes.

"I'd better not hear of Kayla getting a detention _at all_," her mother corrected, giving Kayla a warning look.

Kayla, on the other hand, paid her no attention but jumped in to her father's comment. "If he does, Daddy, can I tell him that you'll come and hex him?" she asked eagerly, bouncing in her seat as the bus lurched around another corner.

"You sure can," her father replied, "You can tell him that if he lays one greasy finger on you, I'll-"

"Harry!" her mother interrupted warningly.

Her father stopped, looking nearly as disappointed as Kayla and Sonia, who dearly wanted to know what he would do to Snape if he should give Kayla a detention.

"Don't go getting in any detentions," her father said resignedly, although Kayla thought that he sounded rather as if he hoped she would.

"Isn't this our stop?" Sonia asked suddenly.

The adults all turned to look out the window and Ron gave a yelp, jumping up and yanking his family with him as he yelled up to the front not to start the bus. Laughing, Kayla and her parents followed. The bus disappeared as soon as they stepped out in front of the Leaky Cauldron, and Kayla's father had to physically restrain her to keep her from running into the pub. Only when they entered did she become still, her eyes searching intently. Yes, there were the Weasleys – and her father's friends – but where was he? Her father nudged her and pointed a finger slightly to the right of where she was looking. She followed it and a smile crossed her face. An old, tired-looking wizard with graying hair was sitting at a table with a witch who sported a nosering and bubblegum pink hair. The witch caught sight of Kayla and said something that made the old wizard look up; a smile spreading across his face when he saw her. Kayla was no longer able to contain herself. She set off towards the table at a run, narrowly avoiding collisions with the others bustling about the pub.

"Grandpa Remus!" she squealed, launching herself into his arms and nearly knocking him out of his chair.

The witch across the table gave a snort of amusement, muttering 'grandpa' under her breath. Kayla peered backwards in order to give her a wave, but then hugged Remus again.

"Kayla, you're going to kill him," her father said amusedly from behind her.

"No I won't!" she exclaimed, being joined at the same time by Remus with a "No she won't!"

Her father chuckled and pulled up a chair, allowing her mother to seat herself in his lap as Kayla adjusted herself in her "grandpa's". Kayla beamed at the werewolf as she pulled back, watching as his face went from looking like 'grandpa' material to becoming years younger. True, Remus wasn't her grandpa, but she had dubbed him as such from the time she was very little, and nobody had ever objected to the habit. In fact, Remus seemed to be quite pleased whenever he heard the word exit her mouth. Besides that, she knew that her own father thought of him as such, and that would definitely make him her grandfather. She had been aware that he was a werewolf since she was eight, and had never experienced a moment of doubt about it. He was kind, gentle, and sweet – why on earth would it bother her that he was also a werewolf? Now, as she sat in his lap, she didn't see how anyone could be prejudiced against him in the least.

"Guess what, Grandpa?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"What?" he replied, sounding almost as eager to hear the information as she was to give it.

"I got my letter from Hogwarts today!" she said excitedly.

"Ah," he replied wisely, "Yes, I was expecting you would since your birthday passed."

"Harry wasn't," her mother volunteered, giving her father as lightly teasing look.

"I hadn't thought of it," her father defended himself, a sheepish grin on his face, "I mean, I had but...I hadn't thought of her leaving home..."

He paused, looking at Kayla almost wistfully. Her mother joined in, and Kayla felt very much on the spotlight. She turned to Remus only to see that he was looking at her in the same way, and, across the table, Tonks mirrored the other three.

"What is it?" she demanded, directing the question at Remus.

He gave a sigh and straightened, fingering one of her curls. "It's just that I won't be able to see my little girl as much," he told her, making her smile.

"You?" her father demanded, "What am I going to do?"

"I'm the one who gave birth to her!" her mother protested.

"But it's me who changes my appearance for her!" Tonks chimed in.

Soon, the adults were waging a full-fledged war about who would miss Kayla the most, although she knew that it was mostly for her benefit that they were doing so. Truthfully, she thought that she would miss home, but not enough to want to miss out on Hogwarts in the least. On the contrary, she thought that leaving home would be a welcome change. She would get to be independent; free-willed – at least, that was what she thought. Directing her attention back to the adults, she got her grandpa's attention by waving a hand in front of his face, drawing the entire argument to a halt.

"Come and get my school supplies with me?" she asked hopefully.

"Wouldn't miss it," he replied with a grin.

Kayla would have been content to sit in his lap with her parents and Tonks, waiting until they could go shopping, but her mother soon put a halt to that daydream.

"Now Kayla, you need to go say hello to the rest of the family," she chided.

Kayla threw a look over where there was a sea of bright red heads bobbing jovially about, and a slight smile crossed her face. The Weasleys were fun, even if she would rather have stayed with her grandpa. She turned and gave him an apologetic look as she bent to kiss his cheek and then hopped off towards the sea of red. She knew that she stood out like a sore thumb in the crowd with her head of black hair and bright green eyes, but somehow, it never felt that way when she was in the midst of them. It was a strangely comforting feeling to know that even though she stood out to strangers, she couldn't tell when she was surrounded by the warm, accepting family.

After a very long time trying to say hello and hold polite conversation with everyone in the family, which she had been told multiplied greatly since her father was a child, she felt very ready to leave. It wasn't that she didn't like them, it was just that she felt that she would much rather be getting her wand than hearing about the latest article in the daily prophet that had absolutely nothing to do with her. Her Grandpa Arthur entertained her for a bit by telling her stories of his first wand, but that only made her more eager to go and get on with it. She was very happy when her father slipped in among the crowd and put his hands on her shoulders as she spoke with her Uncle Bill, informing him that they had to leave or Ginny would personally slay him for not allowing enough time for Kayla's shopping. After waving many, many goodbyes that seemed to take an alarming amount of time for a task so simple, they were walking towards the wall that would open to lead them into Diagon Alley. Her grandpa, mother, Sonia, and her parents were all waiting when they arrived, knowing smiles on their faces as her father muttered about never able to get away. Kayla bounced on her heels as he tapped the bricks and they separated, leading them into a place that she had only seen twice before in her life, and only when she had gone with her father to withdraw money from their account followed by some ice cream.

"Some robes first, I think," her mother instructed, pointing them towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Kayla chatted with Sonia as they neared the store, the both of them walking fast in order to reach their destination quicker. They were well ahead of the adults, and lengthening their lead quite nicely with every step. Kayla had to half jog in order to keep up with Sonia's long strides, chatting to the other girl the entire way. Unfortunately, that meant that she wasn't looking where she was going when she pushed open the door to the shop and walked in. Sonia's gaze averted suddenly, and her quiet 'Watch out!' was too late. Kayla ran smack into somebody, giving an ungraceful 'Oomph!' as she stumbled backwards. A strong hand reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm, steadying her, but when she looked up to see who it was, they let go as if she had electrocuted them. A tall, blonde man with silver-gray eyes drew in a sharp breath as he looked at her, his expression going from apologetic to shocked in a moment. In a sharp motion, he reached out and yanked her chin upwards so that he could better study her features, a smirk forming on his face. At his side, what looked like a mini-replica of him stood watching, looking as if he didn't understand any better than Kayla. Kayla tried to take a step backwards, but his other arm reached out and held her in place, and she felt a jolt of panic.

"Well, well, well," the man said finally, "What have we here?"

His grip on her arm tightened until it hurt, and Kayla shot a glance over at Sonia, who was looking utterly terrified was she watched. She looked back up at the man, something inside of her depriving her of words.

"Potter," the man spat suddenly, "You're Potter's girl. Aren't you?"

His grip tightened and he drew her closer, malice in his eyes. Kayla heard Sonia give a whimper, and very nearly told her not to be such a baby and go for help like any sane person was. Instead, she made her gaze towards the man as cold as she could and replied in what she thought was a sensible manner.

"Maybe."

He gave a laugh, and his hand yanked her chin further upwards. "_Aren't you_?" he repeated venomously.

It happened in an instant. Kayla narrowed her eyes and, without thinking, kicked him in the shin as hard as she possibly could. He gave a roar of rage and rose one hand up in order to hit her, but something crashed into him with the force of a small rocket, sending them both crashing to the ground. Kayla stood for a moment, as if petrified, before she realized that it had been her father who had flown through the air and launched onto the man, who was now attempting to punch him. She screamed, and was echoed by her mother, as a blow landed neatly on her father's cheek. Sonia's father, on the other hand, gave a yell of fury and jumped into the pile, landing a hard blow to the other man's face.

"Ronald Weasley!" Sonia's mother screeched, "You get up _right now_! And take Harry with you, for Merlin's sake!"

She didn't have to add that last bit, however, for Kayla's own mother joined in, her voice just as furious. "Harry James Potter, get off of the floor _this instant_! You're making a scene! Look what you're teaching your daughter!"

The two men backed off of the blonde one reluctantly, panting hard and shooting looks of pure hatred towards him. Sonia's father, now sporting the makings of a black eye, turned towards his wife with anger evident as he gestured to the other man, who was sweeping himself off in what he seemed to think was a dignified manner. In truth, he held promise of two black eyes, a nasty cut on his lip and forehead, and bruises all over his face. He also seemed to be favoring the right side of his abdomen, where her father had thrown herself at him.

"Did you see what he was going to do to Kayla, Hermione?" he demanded, "The little cockroach was going to hit her! The filthy, low down, b-"

"Ron!" Hermione cut off, looking furious.

Kayla vaguely heard the argument as she watched her father, who was shaking with fury as he looked at the blonde man; who, in truth, was doing much the same.

"Potter," he spat.

"Malfoy," her father returned, glaring.

Immediately Kayla realized who the man was, and her eyes flickered to the boy who had been at his side. He was staring at her, as well. For a moment, they looked at each other blankly as the adults all fought. Remus had now joined her mother in chiding her father for his temper, but her father was throwing insults at Draco, who returned them with pleasure. Sonia was attempting to get her mother and father to calm down, and being wholly unsuccessful. The owner of a store was questioning the family, trying to find out what had happened while she had been gathering fabric in the back room. Meanwhile, Kayla and the strange boy surveyed each other quietly. Finally, she spoke.

"Is this going to be your first year at Hogwarts?" she asked. Her voice was cautious, quiet even.

"Yes," he replied shortly, "You?"

She nodded in reply, and an awkward silence ensued as they still stared, summing each other up. "I'm Kayla Potter," she volunteered finally.

"Kabir Malfoy," he replied.

Kayla tilted her head at him for a moment before asking a question she very well knew the answer to. "What house do you think you'll be in?"

"Slytherin," he answered automatically, "My whole family has been. And you...you'll be a Gryffindor, right?"

"Yeah, prolly," Kayla answered conversationally, about to question him more when she realized that the store had suddenly grown silent.

All eyes were now focused on the two, every breath baited. Everyone had stopped their fighting, arguing, and insulting when they realized that the two were speaking. Kayla and Kabir had noticed that much without taking their eyes off of each other, and in a matter of seconds. Kabir's lips suddenly formed into a smirk.

"Well, I'm sorry in advance," he said in a much colder voice, "It must be awful to be doomed to be a Gryffingit."

The entire room seemed to let out a breath of relief.

"Look who's talking!" Kayla retorted sharply, "You're just jealous because Slytherins are _cowards_."

She knew that this was ridiculous; neither her nor Kabir had been sorted yet, and for all they knew, she would end up in Slytherin and he in Gryffindor. Yet, everyone seemed to feel much better now that the two were throwing insults at one another.

"Now Kabir," Draco drawled suddenly, "We really must be going. You and the lovely Miss Potter will have plenty of time together at Hogwarts, will you not?"

Kabir's smirk widened as he looked contemptuously at Kayla. "Sure will," he confirmed.

Kayla made a face at him as he turned to go, and he sneered back at her all the way out of the store. Silence settled upon the group, broken only by the sound of her mother kissing her father's newly bruised cheek. "Poor baby," she cooed. Sonia's mother gave a derisive snort, obviously not thinking that Kayla's father was a 'poor baby' for jumping on Draco Malfoy and engaging in a fistfight. Kayla, on the other hand, now saw why her father had declared the Malfoys in a league of gits completely their own. Sure, he had been fine in the beginning, but that horrible _smirk_! It was enough to make her want to slap it right off. And with that thought in mind, she allowed herself to be measured, letting her dislike of Kabir Malfoy sink in to it's fullest extent.

The rest of shopping passed in a blur. To her disappointment, not even getting her wand had been as exciting as watching her father punch the living daylights out of an old school enemy. It had been wonderful, though. She had ended up with a fourteen inch willow, with a core of unicorn hair. She had also gotten some pocket money from her father, cauldron load full of new books, a nifty little gadget for Astronomy, and, to her utter delight, an owl. She had wanted one for as long as she could remember, and taken a good long while to find one. When the group exited, she sported a cage holding a pure black screech owl, while Sonia held a cage with a large, tawny brown. When they passed the Quidditch shop, she had begged her father for a new broom, but he held firm in his declaration not to get her one until her second year, when she could try out for the team.

"But dad, you've only got the old Firebolt," she complained, "They were outstripped _ages_ ago! How am I supposed to practice?"

"First years aren't allowed a broom anyway," he replied, "And don't worry, I'm sure my Firebolt will do you justice for practicing. It's only down by two models!"

"That's still a lot," she grumbled under her breath, glaring at him but finding she had to return the grin he was giving her.

All in all, it was a very tiring day, for something as simple as shopping. They stayed at Sonia's house for dinner, but Kayla was overcome with fatigue the entire time; something very rare for her. Her father teased her about her curls drooping when she was tired, but she simply retorted by telling him that it was the excitement of seeing him in a muggle fight that drained all her energy. Everything in her struggled to stay awake long enough to make it home, but after that she could hardly remember trudging up the stairs and taking the time to put on her pajamas before collapsing into bed, asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. That night, her dreams took her on a different adventure than they ever had before. They took her to Hogwarts, to the crimson-colored steam engine that her father had told her of time and time again. She had a smile on her face as she slept.


	3. Freedom at Last

**Chapter Two – Freedom at Last**

Kayla was used to thinking a month was a very long time. It wasn't. Not when it was the month that separated her from Hogwarts. Her family seemed to be making the most of their remaining time together, as did Sonia's, so she rarely got to see her cousin. She didn't mind, though, for it meant that Remus stayed the night with them for nearly an entire week. Unfortunately, the day that she left for Hogwarts was right after a full moon, so he wouldn't be able to see her off. Instead, he bid her farewell two days before with a rather whiskery kiss on the cheek which she returned – minus the whiskers. Nothing prepared her for waking up on the morning of September first with a knot in her stomach. She couldn't be nervous – Kayla Potter did not get nervous. Ever. But she was.

She slid into a sitting position and looked slowly over to her calendar. Yes, it was September first. She got up and walked into the bathroom adjoining her room, staring at herself in the mirror for a good while. After realizing that if she went to Hogwarts in this state, everyone would likely think her a fright due namely to her hair, she began to get ready. She had already chosen an outfit, for she had packed away all her other good clothes into her trunk (despite her parent's reminders that there would be uniforms at Hogwarts). After she had dressed, she took special care in brushing her hair in the hopes that she could get it to look somewhat normal. No such luck. No matter how many times she wet it, brushed it, or held it flat in place for five minutes before letting it go, the curls still bounced happily and haphazardly about her face. Finally she sighed and headed downstairs, butterflies still in her stomach.

She found, upon arrival in the kitchen, that she wasn't the only nervous one. Her father was pacing the length of the kitchen opposite her mother, running his hands through his hair repeatedly and staring at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. He looked up when she entered and froze, his hand midway through his hair. For a moment, they stood like that, Kayla having been so quiet that her mother hadn't yet noticed her entrance. Then, unexpectedly even to herself, Kayla launched herself across the room and threw her arms around her father, who picked her up as he had when she were five years old, holding her as if he never planned on letting her go. He kissed her on the cheek twice in succession before pulling back just enough to look at her. To her great surprise, she found herself sniffling in an attempt not to cry.

"I love you, Daddy," she said softly.

He drew her into a hug once more, and she suspected it was to hide the fact that his own eyes looked rather moist. Her mother, who had turned at the commotion of Kayla running across the room, was smiling up at them, but not yet interrupting.

"I love you too, Kayla," her father finally replied.

"Aw, my two babies," her mother cooed, seeming to find the time right to join in.

Chuckling, her father shifted Kayla to one side and held his arm out for her mother to join the embrace. She did, and for a long while, Kayla found herself in the three way hug. Only the sound of the timer going off was cause enough to make her mother break away, wiping at her wet eyes.

"Breakfast is ready," she sniffled, wiping at her eyes as she went to tend to them.

Kayla exchanged a look with her father, who set her down and walked with her to the table. When the three were all sitting, their breakfasts in front of them, none of them felt as if they could eat. All of them ate anyway. It was a silence broken occasionally by a sniffle from Kayla's mother, where her father would reach across the table and stroke her cheek, and then, as if he couldn't bear to leave Kayla out, would do the same to her. Kayla had never known such a strange breakfast. Finally her father put his fork down, a little less than half the food still on his plate.

"I can't eat," he announced, "I feel worse than I did in my first Quidditch match. Hell, I feel worse than when I took on Voldemort."

Kayla and her mother simultaneously set down their forks, as well, each of them having eaten about as much as Harry. Unexpectedly, her mother burst into tears. This time, Kayla wasn't feeling as emotional. She rolled her eyes.

"My little girl," her mother sobbed, "Oh Kayla, you will be good, won't you?"

"Yes, mum," Kayla replied boredly, bringing a grin out of her father.

"And you won't...won't..." her mother never finished asking her what she wouldn't do, but simply began to sniffle and wipe away her tears, finally fixing her father with an accusing look. "It's going to be all your fault if she gets into trouble, you know," she declared, "She takes after you."

"Ho, ho!" her father exclaimed, "Just because she _looks_ like me doesn't make it my fault if she shows your spunk, you little Bat Bogey Hexer, you."

The two proceeded to break into laughter, during which Kayla took the opportunity to roll her eyes once more. She would never understand her parents, she was sure of it. The doorbell rang, and she jumped up with a loud 'I'll get it!" She knew it was Sonia, and she was grateful for the interruption of the mush that had been going on just a bit too long in the kitchen. Besides that, it was weird to see her father run his hand through his hair so many times – if she were him, her arm would be sore by then, she was sure. She threw open the door and immediately launched into an explanation of her morning.

"Mum and Dad are going ballistic that I'm leaving, you simply must come save me, Sonia, or they'll torture me all the way to H- oh. Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Dupree."

Her eyes were wide as she looked up into the eyes of the muggle neighbors that lived across the street. Mr. Dupree smiled kindly at her, and Mrs. Dupree seemed to think she was doing the same as her greedy eyes began to take in everything about Kayla's house except for the girl standing right in the doorway. Kayla angled the door shut a bit more, not savoring the thought of what would happen if Mrs. Dupree saw the laundry neatly folding itself in the living room.

"Hello, Kayla darling," Mrs. Dupree said, "We've heard about you going to that boarding school, and we thought we'd just come and see you off. Now where are those parents of yours?"

She made as to step inside, but Kayla didn't budge. At this rate, Mrs. Dupree would have to push her down in order to get inside the house.

"Er, if you'd wait here just a moment, I'll go get them," she said as politely as she could. Still hoping Mrs. Dupree wouldn't think it completely rude of her, she shut the door in the couple's face and clicked the lock into place as she headed back towards the kitchen. She wouldn't put anything past Mrs. Dupree.

After explaining the situation to her parents, they took charge and told her to bring her trunk down and they would act as if they were just leaving. She obeyed instantly, and could hear the distinct annoyance in her father's voice as he explained to Mrs. Dupree that no, she could not come in. Of course, Mrs. Dupree sounded just as annoyed at his explanation, but Kayla knew for a fact that nobody argued with her father. Nobody in their right minds, that is. She pushed her trunk down the stairs and watched as it bounced down, trotting after it with a pleased expression – her mother would never have let her do that had she been in the house. As she dragged the trunk outside, she was met with the sight of her father, mother, Sonia's family, and Mr. and Mrs. Dupree on their front lawn. She caught her father's words just in time.

"-no, Mrs. Dupree, we do not need a housesitter while we're gone. I'm sure it'll be quite fine while we go to the train station and back."

Kayla elapsed into muffled giggles, one hand clapped over her mouth and the other dragging her trunk behind her as she walked to the car, pointedly not looking at Mrs. Dupree for fear that she would break down completely. She had always thought the neighbor had wanted to see the inside of their house, but house-sitting? It was just too much. Sonia joined her at the trunk of the car and, upon looking at each other, their giggles could no longer be contained.

"House-sitting?" Sonia asked in disbelief as Kayla helped her load her trunk.

"That old woman is crazy," Kayla giggled, allowing Sonia to help her with her own trunk.

It took all of their willpower to say a polite goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Dupree, and, as usual, Sonia pulled it off much better than Kayla, who turned her giggle into a hiccup as she said Mrs. Dupree's name. Her father, on the other hand, was not making matters better by the faces he was making at the old lady – of course, in an attempt to get Kayla to completely lose it. He only succeeded once Mr. and Mrs. Dupree were safely across the street, and then he, too, joined in on her laughter.

The ride to the train station was filled with the adults reminiscing loudly about their train rides while Kayla and Sonia attempted to hold a conversation up over them. It didn't work out very well, so they were forced to listen to tales of Luna Lovegood reading the Quibbler upside down – not that this was anything new to them, for they had both met Luna a number of times, and her habits hadn't changed. Finally, Kayla persuaded both of their fathers to tell them about the times they had hexed Draco Malfoy, to which both women scowled, but the men eagerly launched into explanations and descriptions. This held Kayla's attention, at least, whilst Sonia wrinkled her nose every once and a while at the description of the effects of the hexes, but mostly stared out the window. Kayla couldn't see why her friend wasn't more excited; she was eager to try and hex Kabir the first chance she got. The fact that she had never really practiced magic before didn't occur to her at all.

Finally, they arrived. Kayla was practically dancing in place, and Sonia looked excited as well, although she simply looked around, beaming, with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. Kayla was jealous of her ability to look so cool in the face of excitement. Hiding her emotions was not at all a part of her personality, and she didn't see any reason why she should other than she now looked like a complete idiot due to the fact that Sonia looked so mellow.

"Alright, girls, listen up," Sonia's mother said, sounding very much like a teacher taking a class out for a field trip, "You know about the barrier, correct?"

"Yes, yes," Kayla said impatiently, grabbing her father's hand and attempting to yank him towards it, "Let's go already!"

Her father chuckled as he grabbed her trolley for her, smirking over his shoulder at Hermione, who looked highly disappointed that the girls already knew how to get past the barrier. Of course, there was no way they couldn't after just listening to the adults drone on and on about it for hours, Kayla thought, a smirk not unlike her father's now spread upon her face.

"Alright," her father said as they neared, "Just keep walking and we'll go right through. Don't doubt it, cause then-"

He stopped as Kayla plunged through the barrier, dragging him with her by the sleeve of his shirt. Her rampage was stopped, however, when she saw what was before her. It was, in a word, spectacular. The bright red engine stood there, in front of her, ready to take her to Hogwarts, to take her to a place where she would embark on adventures of her very own. She was motionless, and hardly realized that her father had appeared beside her until he placed his hand on her back and led her forward. She also didn't realize that he wasn't smiling up at the big red steam engine that he had known during his school years, or at the other parents who were waving at him, but at her. She was the sole object of his focus, and she had no idea. Not until she looked up. His eyes met hers, and she was taken aback as she realized something very important. He wasn't worried or anxious for her, oh no. He was scared. There was no mistaking the fear in his eyes as he gazed down upon her, looking as if she might disappear at any moment.

"Oh Daddy," she sighed, throwing her arms around him for the second time that morning.

"Promise me you'll be careful," he told her, his voice muffled by abundance of curls, "Please, Kay."

"I will, Daddy," she assured him, but she wasn't so sure of the fact herself. Since when had she been careful?

He seemed to be thinking along the same lines, for he gave a snort of laughter as he pulled away. "I mean it, Kayla," he said seriously, "Think before you act. You have no idea how much trouble you'll get yourself into if you don't."

Kayla was about to bring up the fact that he had never thought before he acted before she remembered all that he had gone through during his years at Hogwarts. Not to mention the fact that there were certain stories he blatantly refused to tell her, saying that she was too young to understand. So instead, she smiled up at him and nodded, trying to convince herself that she would be careful at the same time. Her father looked disbelieving, but before he got to lecture her about it, her mother joined them, followed shortly by Sonia and her parents. The next few minutes passed much too fast for Kayla's liking. She found herself bidding goodbye to her teary mother, and then her father, who looked scared out of his wits for her. After assuring him that she would heed his advice, she and Sonia boarded the train together. The two were silent as they looked for a compartment. After repeatedly peeking in on older years that looked none too happy that a bunch of first years were wandering in on them, Kayla finally found an empty one. She and Sonia filed in, and she shut it behind them. One look at each other was all Kayla needed for an invitation to start talking.

"Oh Sonia, did you see my dad?" she sighed, scooting to look for him out the window as she spoke, "I've never see him so worried except for that time that I fell out of the tree and he thought I broke my head."

Sonia gave a small laugh at that, looking out the window as well. "Well, _I _thought you broke your head, too, there was blood everywhere! But he does look worried..."

She trailed off as both of the girls waved at Kayla's father, who, once he saw them, began staring fixedly at them, seemingly unable to bring himself to wave. Her mother and Sonia's parents took it up instead, and Kayla found herself unable to speak as she stared right back at her father. The crowd of students seemed to disperse slowly, until only adults were left on the platform. When the train started, Kayla's father suddenly dashed forward, unwilling to lose sight of them. Kayla gave him one last wave, and he returned it. The next thing she knew, they had turned a corner and were out of sight. She slunk back into her seat and shared a look with Sonia.

"I think that was really hard on him," Sonia said softly, peering out the window as if expecting to see his face once more.

Kayla nodded, still at a loss for words. That look he had given her – he was scared for her, but more than that. He loved her fiercely. He didn't want to let her go. She felt almost guilty for leaving him.

"He'll be all right," Sonia added as she caught sight of Kayla's face.

"Yeah," Kayla agreed noncommittally, "Yeah, he will be. I just – he should have been more prepared, you know? I wish Grandpa Remus had come. He would have been all right then."

Sonia nodded, and Kayla found herself frustrated at her cousin's ability to say so much while actually saying so little. It was something she herself could never hope to achieve. Frowning, she turned to face the window, and for a long time, the girls were silent. Kayla watched the scenery whiz by, thinking of her father and that look in his eye. It made her feel warm inside, but at the same time worried that he wouldn't be able to get on without her. It might have been a silly worry, but it was there nonetheless. Then again, was very nearly drowned out by the feeling of excitement that overtook her when she thought of where she was headed. She couldn't wait to be Sorted – her parents had refused to tell her how it would be done, and she was very much hoping it wouldn't be anything that would embarrass her too much. Her uncles Fred and George had created a high-fetched tale about defeating a dragon, but her mother had promptly smacked them upside the head and told them to shut their mouths before Kayla began looking for a sword to bring to school. Kayla very nearly giggled at the memory, and decided to share it with Sonia.

"Sony," she said, using the nickname she had created for her cousin, "You'll never guess what Uncle Fred and George told me! They said that when you-"

She came to an abrupt halt as she looked over at her cousin. Sonia was sleeping peacefully, her head resting against the window. Kayla frowned for a moment and debated upon waking her up, but decided not to. Sighing, Kayla took the opportunity to change into her school robes, wondering why on earth Sonia had fallen asleep so fast. She didn't know how long the two had been sitting there, but she was sure it hadn't been long. Sonia must've been tired. _Or she didn't want to talk to me_, a voice in her head added. Before she could sort out where, exactly, a thought like that had come from, the compartment door slid open.

"Could I sit here?"

The question came in such quick succession after opening the door that Kayla didn't even get a chance to look at the boy before he spoke. Now, though, she did. He looked to be about her age, and dressed in muggle clothing. He sported a mop of shaggy brown hair, and coffee-colored brown eyes that matched almost perfectly. His jaw was set in a rather unfriendly manner, and he looked as if he would rather sit anywhere but with Kayla and Sonia – who was still asleep, Kayla noticed.

"Of course you can," she assured him.

Giving her a curt nod, he stepped forward and shut the door behind him, and then looked from her to Sonia, who had begun to snore faintly. After a moment's debate, he sat on the same bench as Sonia, only he put about as much distance between him and the other girl as he could. Kayla watched him with undisguised interest, and her look was met with something in between a glare and a questioning look.

"What?" he demanded. His voice wasn't harsh or cruel, nor was it friendly and soft. It was a kind of in-between that made him sound as if he wasn't sure to be angry with her for looking at him or not.

"I'm Kayla Potter," she replied, completely ignoring his question and fixing him with a smile.

He looked nothing short of completely taken aback by her friendly behavior. "Jake Lawson," he grumbled, giving her a suspicious look out of the corner of his eye.

Kayla paused a moment in order to think of a topic starter. "So, what house do you think you'll be in?" she asked pleasantly.

He brought his head up and fixed her with an intense look. "Are you making fun of me?" he demanded.

"Wha- of course not!" Kayla exclaimed, "Why would I be making fun of you?"

He gave her a brief searching look before directing his gaze to the ground. "I don't know what the houses are," he mumbled, "I'm a muggle."

"Oh," Kayla said softly, "I didn't know, you know. I'm really sorry."

All her heartfelt apology got her was a cold look. And yet, it wasn't completely cold. There was a flicker of something in his eyes that she didn't get a chance to see before he began to stare pointlessly at the wall in front of him, and then out the window – anywhere but at her.

"Well, there are four houses," she said suddenly, launching into an explanation before being asked, "Gryffindor is one of them, and they take in students who are brave and daring. Then there's Ravenclaw – they take people with a lot of intelligence. And then Slytherin..." she paused and made a face, although she still wasn't aware that she had his full attention "...they say they value ambition and cunning, but a lot of bad wizards come from Slytherin. Typically, they don't get along with the Gryffindors at all. Then there's Hufflepuff. A lot of people say that they're not smart, but I think that they are – or at least that they can be. Because you're bound to get people who aren't smart in every house, right? Well, except maybe Ravenclaw. Anyway, Hufflepuff's supposed to take those who are loyal and hard workers."

She realized, upon finishing her speech, that Jake was staring at her with something akin to rapt attention. He was fixated wholly on every word that escaped her mouth and for a brief moment, the two stared at each other in a completely friendly manner. Then, as if a stone wall suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, separating her seat from his, he averted his eyes, his gaze becoming more of a frown.

"Thanks," he said shortly.

"It's no problem," she replied, "I know what it's like to not know about things."

At that, he gave her a highly disbelieving look, and she quickly continued.

"You see, a lot of muggles are disappointed that they don't know about the wizarding world, but I don't know a whole lot about muggles. I didn't even know what a parking meter was until last week!"

The faintest glimmer of hope made itself evident in his eyes. "Yeah, well," he replied with a small shrug, still not looking at her.

She couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened by his lack of conversation. It was like a less friendly Sonia. But still, somehow he didn't strike her as the Sonia type. There must be something she could do to get him to warm up.

"Jake?" she asked, sounding rather like she had known him for a very long time.

He glanced up with annoyance written over his features, silent. After a moment of looking at her as if trying to determine whether or not she actually wanted him to reply, his expression softened considerably, although he still looked wary.

"Yes?" he asked.

Kayla thought it was a step up. She had been expecting a rude 'What?', but there, he had gone and been polite. Darn, did that make him like Sonia again?

"Would you like it if I told you about the wizarding world?" she asked, her eyes searching his intently.

"Why would you want to do that?" he shot back, now looking more suspicious than ever.

"Because you seem like you want to know," she answered honestly.

There was a long period of silence. His eyes looked her over, and then flickered to Sonia, as if he were afraid she might be only pretending to sleep, but really listening in. Then, he stared at the floor very hard, as if expecting an answer to rise up from it.

"I do," he said finally.

"Very well," Kayla replied, "Well, first you'll want to know about Hogwarts things, I suspect. It's going to be my first year, but my dad's told me all about it. There's a room called the Great Hall that has a house for each different table, and it's where we'll eat our meals and stuff. Then, there's..."

She continued to speak of what her father had told her, and successfully included ghosts, changing staircases, common rooms, dormitories, talking and moving portraits, the Whomping Willow, and the Forbidden Forest. From time to time he looked as if he wanted to speak, but he never did, and usually after he let her go on for a few sentences, he seemed satisfied that she had answered his question. Once she had gotten through all of that, she immediately started into Quidditch without so much as a pause. This definitely held his attention. After she explained the rules, she began to tell him some of the stories that her father had told her, and before long through one tale of him playing against his worst enemy and stealing the Snitch from right underneath him, Jake was wearing a smile as he listened. While this heartened Kayla, she didn't stop after that. She continued on to speak of the Ministry of Magic, of Hogsmeade, and eventually she found herself sprouting so much information that she knew there was no way he was going to remember it all. And yet, he seemed to enjoy hearing about it so much that she didn't dare stop.

"..and I think we're there!" she concluded suddenly, peering out the window eagerly as the train began to slow.

Jake looked almost scandalized, and, to her surprise, he spoke up. "No, go on," he urged, "What guards Azkaban? Dementums?"

Kayla couldn't resist. She gave a delighted giggle at his perception of dementors and received a well-earned glare.

"Oh no, Jake, I'm so sorry," she apologized, reaching out and patting his arm, "It's just...well, it's like what I used to call mops before I knew what they were. I called them flops, Jake, and I got so laughed at!"

Immediately he looked in better humor, and went so far as to smile at her explanation of mops and flops. Kayla reached over and poked Sonia hard in the shoulder.

"Sony, wake up!" she commanded, "The train's about to stop."

Sonia yawned and began to stretch out on the bench. Jake, who was currently in range to be accidentally kicked, jumped over to Kayla's side immediately, watching Sonia with the same suspicion that he had shown with Kayla.

"You know her?" he muttered in her ear.

Kayla wasn't sure why he didn't appear to want Sonia to hear them, but she went right along with it, leaning close to him and whispering, "Yeah, my cousin," in reply.

Unfortunately, Sonia had opened her eyes in time to see the exchange, and was now giving Kayla a superiorly annoying look. Kayla raised her eyebrow at her cousin, who mirrored the gesture, and then shook her head and stood up as the train stopped.

"Come on, I want to see the castle!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh!" Sonia exclaimed suddenly, "I never got a chance to change!"

"Well, that's what you get for sleeping the whole day," Kayla retorted, "We'll wait for you outside, then."

With that, she filed out of the compartment with Jake very close on her heels. It amused her to think that he seemed almost scared of being left in the compartment with Sonia. He fell beside her as they stepped of the train and stopped to look at the castle. Kayla felt a grin spreading across her face, and excitement bubbling in her stomach. She gave a sudden giggle and reached out to grab onto Jake's sleeve, tugging on it as she bounced up and down on her heels.

"Jake, we're here, this is it!" she exclaimed delightedly.

She turned her face to him to see that he was looking down at his sleeve in a mildly worried manner. He looked up to meet her gaze and gave a reluctant grin.

"Yeah," he agreed simply.

His response – or, in Kayla's opinion, lack thereof – amused her so that she giggled again. She heard the calls for first years coming in the direction of the lake and, not letting go of Jake's sleeve or quitting her bouncing, stood on her tiptoes and peered over towards the crowd of first years.

"If Sonia doesn't come, we're going to be late," she announced.

"Well, I'm here, so let's go," came Sonia's voice from behind her.

Kayla didn't voice an agreement, nor did she linger. Dragging Jake along with her, she set off to their destination at a very fast, bouncy walk. Luckily for Jake and Sonia, they were both taller than her and didn't have to work very hard to keep up. As they drew near, the cries grew louder.

"Firs' years, firs' years over 'ere!"

The calling was coming from an enormous man with a gigantic black beard and every bit the Hagrid her father had told her about. Although her father still visited him on occasion, Kayla had never gotten the opportunity to actually meet him.

"That's Hagrid," she told Jake, who nodded while looking astonished at Hagrid's size.

He appeared to have heard, her, for he looked over with the beginnings of a question – probably about to ask how she knew him – when he stopped short, his jaw dropping open. Kayla paused, not sure whether or not it was a 'happy' kind of shock he was displaying or otherwise. Her grip on Jake's sleeve intensified ever so slightly.

"Well if it ain't Kayla Potter!" he roared suddenly, "Git over 'ere, you little rascal!"

Kayla obediently bounced over to him, dragging a reluctant Jake along with her, and being tailed by a slightly awed Sonia. She was completely oblivious to the fact that every first year was currently looking at her, and to the fact that Jake was trying unsuccessfully to free his sleeve from her grasp. Instead, she was busy staring up at the man whom she had heard plenty of tales about, a grin on her face.

"And you're Hagrid, aren't you?" she asked breathlessly, "My dad's told me lots about you, and my mum! Do you think if I visited you you could show me a unicorn? Or maybe a dragon?"

Hagrid roared with laughter, clutching at his belly with the force of whatever had humored him so. "Spunky little gal, are ya?" he asked her, amusement evident in his face, "Yer father would have me head if I brought ye' a dragon, but a unicorn I jus' might manage."

Kayla clapped her hands together in excitement, finally letting go of Jake's sleeve. At that point, though, he had resigned himself to staying at her side, and it was doubtful whether or not he even noticed. Hagrid laughed once more, and his eyes traveled from Jake to a point over her shoulder where, no doubt, Sonia would be found.

"You and yer' friends dun hesitate to come an' visit me, now," he told her firmly.

"Oh, we won't," Kayla assured him, taking up her hold on Jake's sleeve once more when she found she had nothing to do with her hands.

"Right then," Hagrid said, suddenly realizing that there were first years waiting for instruction.

Kayla, Jake, and Sonia boarded a boat with a terrified looking blonde boy that told them he'd heard that they had to transfigure themselves into frogs for the Sorting. Jake and Sonia looked momentarily worried, but Kayla shrugged it off breezily.

"I think if that was what we had to do, there'd be a lot more wizards with webbed hands and feet walking around," she declared firmly.

This seemed to settle all three of the students on the boat, except for her. She valiantly tried to recall the most advanced thing she had read in her Transfiguration book, but found she couldn't remember anything except the title. She hoped that wasn't bad. She was momentarily distracted as she found that if she let go of Jake's sleeve and moved her hand just inches away, he would automatically move his arm closer to her to allow her to grab a hold again. Amazed at how well it worked, she kept his arm traveling the entire time, first towards her, then back, and then forward once more. He only seemed to realize what she was doing when his hand bumped against her knee, to which he pulled his arm towards himself immediately. Undaunted, she grabbed onto his sleeve once more, and hung on until the boat bumped to a stop on the opposite shore. She hadn't the faintest idea that, in a period of fifteen minutes, it had become a habit.

The castle loomed in front of her as she and the rest of the first years neared. She was now hanging on to Jake's sleeve for dear life, with her other arm linked through Sonia's. The large double doors seemed both inviting and daring, and although she had heard the descriptions from her father, nothing could have prepared her for being face-to-face with Hogwarts. Her heart beat as if she had just run all the way from the bank to the doors, and, if she wasn't mistaken, Sonia was trembling slightly. Of course, it was rather cold outside. She glanced up at Jake, who was staring at the doors with the same suspicious glance he gave everything. A tug on his sleeve caused her to look down at her sharply, only to have recognition bring what might have been a reproving look down to a questioning glance. For some reason not wanting Sonia to hear, Kayla mouthed the words 'I'm scared' to him. He looked at her for a long moment before mouthing back not what she had expected to hear (which had been 'Me too'), but instead 'Don't be.' She nodded and both of them directed their attention forward as the double doors opened.

A tall woman with sleek gray hair pulled into a tight bun looked down at them all with a stern expression. Even the wrinkles on her face seemed to be somehow drawn back, as if her personality alone dared them to sag. She looked tall and stately, every bit a figure of authority. Kayla drew in a breath as she recognized the woman from descriptions. Funny, her father had never mentioned what a shiny shade of gray her hair was. She rose onto her tiptoes and leaned towards Jake, whispering "McGonagall" into his ear. He gave a brief nod to show that he understood without looking at her, but suddenly tensed. A look back in McGonagall's direction showed why. She was staring at Kayla with a calculating and surprised look. Kayla squirmed under the scrutiny, and was more than surprised when Sonia suddenly detached herself from Kayla in order to step away. Kayla had known that Sonia didn't like the limelight, but not enough to just – well, abandon her. She missed the reprimanding look being tossed in Sonia's direction by Jake, who stood firmly in place as she shifted nearer to him, still holding McGonagall's gaze.

"You there," McGonagall said finally, "Potter's girl, are you?"

"Yes, ma'm," Kayla answered, wishing more than anything that she had Sonia's finesse with manners.

Professor McGonagall gave a curt nod and then began to direct them into lines. Kayla fell in behind Jake, still clutching at his sleeve, and Sonia behind her. They marched into the Great Hall and saw the four tables, each with chattering students. Kayla felt as if time were passing in slow motion as she surveyed everyone, but not only that, but as if she were in a world completely her own. If she hadn't been holding so tightly to Jake's sleeve, she would have been certain that she was utterly alone. The sounds sounded muffled to her ears, unreal. And suddenly, there was silence. After a fleeting glance at first Sonia, and then Jake, she followed their gazes to the front of the room. A solitary stool stood, and atop it, a patched and frayed black hat that looked as if one good day's wear would do it in. The silence was expectant from all sides of the room, and Kayla was quite sure that she was simply going to tear Jake's sleeve off. Suddenly, the hat began to speak. It frightened Kayla so that she jumped into the air and, abandoning her hold on Jake's sleeve, wrapped both of her arms around his. This caused him, in turn, to attempt to wrench free of her grasp, but she refused to do so. He finally stopped struggling, both of them listening intently to the song.

_Every year I see new faces, new traces of the future,_

_And place them into houses four,_

_Places will they will always have people of whom to be sure,_

_But still they bicker and they fight, to try and settle the score_

_But I'm a Sorting Hat, you see,_

_And I can't sort it out, not me_

_So I leave it up to you, _

_You students, please take heed_

_For I'm a Sorting Hat, you see, and I know when you're in need_

_If you should be in Gryffindor,_

_There dwell the brave at heart,_

_Or if you choose smart Ravenclaw,_

_Where intelligence shall start,_

_Perhaps you're bound for Slytherin,_

_Where dwell those cunning souls,_

_Or still, there's sweet Hufflepuff_

_Who toil through who knows,_

_For it's my job to sort you, to show you where you go,_

_Just remember always, always tolerance to show._

There was a pause of silence, and then the students began to clap enthusiastically, as did some of those at the staff table. Kayla slowly released Jake's arm, smiling as he complained halfheartedly about it being numb. And then, students were being called up to the front. She found that she was very reluctant to have Jake taken from her, and as the L's drew near, she had the urge to hold on to his arm once more. But it came, much sooner than she would have liked. "Lawson, Jake!" She let him go immediately, although she really didn't want to, and watched as he strode up to the front. His demeanor was very different from the Jake whose arm she had let go – he was proud, defiant, almost surly as he surveyed everyone from his place on the stool before jamming the hat onto his head. Kayla held her breath, not knowing what to hope for. She hadn't the faintest idea what house she wanted him to be in since she wasn't sure of her own at the moment. She did know that she didn't want him to be a Slytherin, though.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed.

She drew in a large breath, half of relief and half because she had been holding her breath for so long. Jake took a seat at the very end of the Gryffindor table, not near the other students, which had been cheering loudly for him, and she watched as his eyes sought hers. When he finally spotted her, she swore that even from across the hall, she had seen the recognition in his eyes. She felt very proud of herself for having earned it, and the next few students went by as she continued to look at him, trying to find that spark once more. She was distracted by the sound of Professor McGonagall calling "Malfoy, Kabir." From the rate she craned her neck to see the idiot sauntering up to the stool, she was certain Jake must have sensed that she knew him. The hat was only on his head a few seconds before it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Kabir swaggered over to the Slytherin table, and, as he did so, he caught her eye. She made a face at him, and he returned it. Ironically, she found herself thinking, 'He's so childish.'

"Potter, Kayla!"

Kayla felt as if every eye was on her as she took a step out of the line and towards the front. It was awfully far away, to tell the truth. By the time she reached the stool, she was trembling. She met McGonagall's eye briefly before she put the hat on and swore she saw a smile on that stern face. The thought was very uplifting as she gently set the hat on her head. Even with the mass of curls springing in every which direction, it still slid down to cover her eyes, to her relief. "Well, well"a voice said suddenly, "What have we here? Oh my, what a choice!" _Choice? _Kayla thought desperately, _What choice?_ "Oh, but you're a tough one," the hat declared, "Just like your mother and your father. But interesting – very interesting, you're not suited for Slytherin at all." _Who – I mean, what then? _Kayla demanded. "You'd be a nice Ravenclaw, you know. But oh, the bravery – the hunger for adventure. I think we'll go with Gryffindor, no? Yes, it'll be Gryffindor!" Kayla distinctly heard the hat shout this out to the rest of the room, and this time, as she removed the hat, she was shaking with relief. Not being in Gryffindor would have been almost a disgrace. Her entire family had been in Gryffindor, and she didn't know what they'd say if she wasn't. Besides that, Jake was the only friend she'd made so far – other than Sonia, who she'd already had – and she found herself quite wanting to be in the same house as he.

She was still shaking slightly as she took a seat next to him, being congratulated by the other Gryffindors from around the table, and offering a nod and a smile in response. Afterwards, she turned to Jake earnestly, to find that he was already meeting her gaze.

"It told me I wouldn't make a good Slytherin," she announced.

To her surprise, a grin lit his face and he turned his head away. She swore she saw his shoulders move in a way very similar to laughter.

"What?" she demanded, although she was more curious than anything else.

"Well," Jake said, a gigantic grin still on his face and looking as if he were trying extremely hard not to laugh, "You're not exactly – cunning – are you?"

Kayla didn't know whether to be offended or pleased. "How would you know?" she shot back, scowling at him, "You've only just met me!"

"Aw, come on," he protested, the grin suddenly disappearing from his face, "You're not mad, are ya?"

"No," she sighed grudgingly, "But you didn't sound like that was a good thing."

"I was just-"he began, but she put a hand on his arm to silence him as Sonia's name was called.

She hadn't thought of Sonia's sorting very much, but her cousin must be hoping she was in Gryffindor, too. After all, her entire family was. And yet, was Sonia brave? That was yet to be proved. She hadn't even stood by Kayla when McGonagall had been looking at her. Kayla bit her lip as she watched her cousin place the hat on her head, and waited with baited breath. Without realizing it, her hand flew to Jake's sleeve. Jake didn't appear to realize it, either. The two of them watched, Kayla anxious and Jake mildly curious, glancing from Sonia to Kayla interestedly, and it seemed to take the hat a long time to decide. Finally, it shouted its verdict: "GRYFFINDOR!"

Poor Sonia looked relieved beyond belief as she took the hat of, set it down, and scurried off of the stage. There was only one person left – "Zabini, Diana!" – before the stool and hat were removed from the stage, and a lady whom Kayla assumed was the headmistress stood up. She wasn't the tallest of people, neither was she the shortest. She had medium brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and bright blue eyes that surveyed the room with satisfaction. She wore robes of a midnight blue, and cleared her throat briefly before speaking.

"Students, I would like to welcome you all to Hogwarts this year. Before the start-of-term feast, there are a few things which I would like to remind you of. First of all, you all should know that the Forbidden Forest is – well, forbidden. Anyone caught going into it will be serving a punishment, no questions asked."

Kayla took the pause to lean over towards Jake and whisper into his ear, "We're going, right?"

"_I_ am," he retorted.

She frowned, turning her gaze up to him. "What do you mean, you?" she demanded quietly.

"I mean, me," he replied.

"What about me?" she demanded.

On her other side, Sonia hushed her, but she waved a hand impatiently at her cousin.

"I mean, I never said I was taking you with me," he snapped, "I might need my sleeve, you know."

Kayla was momentarily speechless. Had Jake just made a joke? It was hard to tell, but she was fairly sure that was what it had been. She looked up at him imploringly, and his frown was quickly to be replaced by a grin when he saw her.

"You're so gullible," he sighed amusedly.

She smiled, shook her head, and caught the last of the headmistress' words just in time.

"-and on that note, I should like to invite you all to feast."

Although Kayla had no idea what 'that note' was, she was happy to look down and see a sea of food awaiting her grasp. Already Jake was reaching past her for a chicken leg, but, smirking, she beat him to it. At first, he looked shocked, and then mildly amused. He beat her to the mashed potatoes. They continued on like this with various articles of food until they finally knocked over Kayla's goblet, causing Sonia to shriek and scoot away, shooting an evil look at them. Giggling, Kayla apologized and wiped the seat down for her cousin, all too happy to point out that she had not gotten any on the other girl's plate, at least. It didn't seem to comfort Sonia much, but after reprimanding the two of them, she resumed her former position and began to eat in a dignified manner. Kayla and Jake took her words to heart and spent the rest of the dinner racing for food only when Sonia was looking in another direction.

When it finally came time to head to the Gryffindor common room, tired as they were, Sonia, Jake, and Kayla couldn't help but stay wide-eyed as they looked at all that was happening around them. Staircases moved, ghosts traveled to and fro, and Jake was entranced by the moving pictures. Kayla practically had to drag him up the staircase until he was delighted to find that the portrait in front of the Gryffindor common room spoke, as well. Or at least, as delighted as Jake got. He raised his eyebrows and nodded at the Fat Lady as he crawled through after Kayla. When they were all in the common room Sonia marched to the foot of the girls' dormitories and gave Kayla a pointed look. Kayla, who was sleepily hanging on to Jake's sleeve, bade him a good night. He returned the gesture and informed her that they would meet in the common room the next morning. It wasn't a question, mind you, but a command. Smiling, Kayla waved at him as she headed up the stairs, and she swore she felt his eyes follow her all the way up the staircase. As she pulled on her pajamas, Sonia made a point to speak to her, as if she had been holding it in all night.

"Kayla, are you sure you're not – I mean – I don't like that boy!" she exclaimed passionately.

"Jake?" Kayla yawned, "Why not?"

Sonia gave a snort. "Kayla, he's...he's not...friendly," she declared.

"Oh, give it a rest, Sonia. Just because he doesn't talk to you doesn't make him an evil...whatchamacallem...criminal."

She was too tired to think properly, as was demonstrated by her speech. She slid under her covers, uttering a sigh when her head hit the pillow.

"He's not normal, Kayla," Sonia insisted, "I mean, there's...he's different."

"I like him," Kayla declared, "And if you don't, then you don't have to meet us in the common room tomorrow morning."

Sonia made an exasperated noise, but if she responded other than that, Kayla took no notice. She was already asleep, enfolded in her own world of dreams. Tonight, they included her and Jake going into the Forbidden Forest and battling a dragon.


	4. Game of Chess?

**Chapter Three – Game of Chess?**

The next morning dawned bright and cheerful, just how first days of school were supposed to be. Cheery enough to send you to your classes with a happy heart, but also disappointing that you couldn't be out there instead of stuck in a classroom. The first noise to be heard was that of birds chirping, but they were soon overcome by the sound of rustling sheets, yawning, and early morning conversations. All this was much too hard to block out, Kayla found, and so she grudgingly opened her eyes. The other first year girls, of which there were four, including Sonia, were now adjourning towards the showers. A glance at Sonia's bed revealed that she was already gone. Kayla felt a surge of frustration towards her cousin as she remembered her comments about Jake the earlier night. For some reason, they bothered her more now than they did then. She figured it was probably because she had been about ready to pass out last night.

She gathered her clothes and headed for the shower. She was perfectly used to the fact that as she walked by a mirror, it informed her that her hair looked a mess and that she'd better take a good long time in the shower getting it to mellow out. She had no intention of doing any such thing, of course. She was looking forward to her first day at Hogwarts much too much to waste time with excess showering. Besides, what would she want to dress up for? She felt proud as she looked into the mirror and observed her Hogwarts uniform, a crimson Gryffindor tie displayed along with the house crest on her robes. Her heart was pounding with excitement at the prospect of an entire day of new classes, new teachers, and who knew what else?

She found, once she exited the girl's dorms, that both Jake and Sonia had beaten her to the common room. It wasn't by any means a good thing, though. Jake was sitting in an armchair closest to the portrait hole, shooting an absolutely murderous glare in Sonia's direction. Sonia was loudly and pointedly chatting with another first year girl, the phrase '_some_ people' along with words such as 'rude', 'obnoxious', and 'arrogant' exiting her mouth quite frequently as she returned Jake's glare out of the corner of her eye. That changed, however, when Sonia caught sight of Kayla, and abruptly stopped speaking. She carefully turned her attention to the other girl she was talking to, but Kayla knew that Sonia was watching. It didn't take her long to decide what to do. She pranced up beside Jake's chair, watching as he first shot a look of absolute loathing upon her but, upon seeing who she was, immediately softened a good deal, especially upon seeing that she was glaring at Sonia for all she was worth.

"C'mon, Jake, let's go," Kayla said loudly, ushering him up out of his chair.

For a brief moment, Sonia looked apologetic. But then, Kayla couldn't really be sure that she saw it because immediately afterwards her cousin shot her a glare and continued speaking to her new first year friend. Kayla might have pursued the matter, but Jake took a hold of her arm and hauled her out the portrait hole, a look of intense concentration on his face. Kayla got the distinct feeling that he was trying not to explode. She had to admit, she half-hoped he did. From someone as stoic as Jake, it would be nice to see a bit of emotion. But no, he simply seethed as he marched her down the corridor, making her jog to keep up with his long, brisk strides. She waited for what seemed an eternity for him to say something, but he didn't, so she was left to take matters into her own hands.

"What happened?" she asked cautiously.

"The little runt blew up over nothing," he growled, giving Kayla the impression that he really wanted to yell but didn't dare allow himself the privilege, "All I asked was where you were, and she started going on and on and on about trustworthiness and people who take advantage of other people, and..."

He stopped dead in his tracks, causing Kayla to collide with him. She wisely chose to wait as he drew in deep breaths, closing his eyes and seeming to want very much to be calm. Finally, his eyes snapped open and locked directly on her.

"Let's go eat breakfast," he said decidedly.

"I thought that was what we were doing," she replied cheerfully.

He gave her a look that obviously said she shouldn't have been thinking any such thing before continuing down the corridors, still looking relatively annoyed. Kayla immediately decided that telling him how the two of them had defeated the dragon in the forbidden forest the night before in her dreams would cheer him up, and proceeded to give him a blow-by-blow account of what had happened. She watched as he first looked worried for her health, but by the time they reached the Great Hall, the corners of his mouth were tugging upwards in what looked to be a genuine smile. He seemed to have especially liked the part where she was telling him how she had been hanging on to his sleeve even while they threw their swords straight into the dragon's heart. By the time they reached the Gryffindor table, he was making an incredible effort to not to smile; although she couldn't see why he wouldn't want to. As it was, they must have looked quite the pair; he walking along seemingly emotionlessly, and herself grinning wildly and bouncing up and down beside him, tugging on his sleeve as she spoke.

When they sat down, well away from most of the other students, as Jake seemed to want to do, Kayla's eyes caught on the blonde boy that they had shared their boat with the previous day. He looked timid and very much alone as he picked his way through the crowd and towards the table. When he arrived, he looked around nervously before picking a seat across from her and Jake, a few seats over. He cast furtive glances in their direction from time to time, and Kayla greeted him with a smile whenever she caught his eye. She decided that he looked to be a good sort of fellow; he had blonde hair that, very unlike Jake's, was neatly trimmed short enough to where she doubted if he had to worry about brushing it. His eyes were a watery sort of blue that suggested a submissive demeanor whilst keeping a sort of guard about them, as if he was going to do his best not to meet anybody that might take advantage of that. She couldn't help but feel that he wasn't making very good progress on his own, however, seeing as some sixth year Slytherin boys were eyeing him as if wondering exactly how much pocket money he carried with him.

"Oi!" she called suddenly, waving her hand at him, "You, there!"

He started like a frightened deer, relaxing only when he caught sight of her friendly face. She waved him over, ignoring the pointedly unappreciative look Jake was shooting her. He slid over so that he was across from them, eyeing her with gratitude and Jake with distinct fear. She couldn't blame him, however; Jake had the ability to be quite intimidating, especially with the look he was currently shooting the boy. Kayla jabbed on Jake's toe with her heel as she began to speak, not missing the way he cursed under his breath before taking another bite of eggs.

"My name is Kayla Potter, and this is Jake Lawson," she introduced, watching as Jake offered the other boy a curt nod, most likely in fear of having his toe stepped on once more, "We shared a boat yesterday, remember?"

The boy nodded somewhat more confidently, having taken the fact that Jake refused to look at him as a good thing. "I'm Travis Longbottom," he replied.

Jake snorted rather obviously into his glass as he took a sip of orange juice, and Kayla trod on his toe once more. Longbottom, Longbottom...it was rather a funny name, but she _knew _she had heard it before. Something to do with the Order, she remembered. No, her father's school friends...both, maybe? Then it hit her.

"Your dad's Neville Longbottom!" she exclaimed triumphantly, "And your mum's Luna, right?"

"Yeah...yeah, they are," he said, and suddenly, his eyes widened, "You're...Kayla Potter...as in...Harry Potter's daughter?"

The last bit was said rather loudly, and attracted quite a few stares, but only for a few seconds, since Jake glared them all off almost immediately. Meanwhile, Kayla nodded in response to the boy's question. He looked about to say more when suddenly, and quite without warning, a flurry of owls began to pour into the Great Hall. Kayla gave an excited clap of her hands as she recognized her own black screech owl, whom she dubbed Zegen (which was Dutch for blessing, or so her mother had told her), zoomed towards her with a letter in tow. The owl landed gracefully, avoiding both the tray of eggs and Kayla's plate, and allowed itself to be stripped of it's burden.

"Thanks, Z," Kayla said happily, treating the bird to a bit of bacon.

"Z?" Jake questioned from beside her.

"It's short for Zegen," she informed him.

He gave a snort of laughter to which she paused in unfolding the letter, written in her father's cramped handwriting, and glared at him. He immediately put on his most serious face and glared at Travis, whose mouth had dropped open upon the realization that Jake did such things as laugh. Travis scooted away quickly. Kayla unfolded her letter and began to read eagerly, anticipating whatever her father had to say.

_My dearest Kayla,_

_The trip home was lonely without you, and I feel as though our house will never be the same. Your mother tells me I'm just being overdramatic, but I stick by my feelings anyway. I know she's missing you just as much, anyhow, because I caught her all teary at the photo album later on. I hope you're missing me at least a little bit, although I know how exciting Hogwarts can be. _

_I'm really not good with letters such as this, sweetheart, so please don't be disappointed in me. All I know how to say right now is that I miss you, and I love you, and I hope you'll write back._

_Love,_

_Dad_

_P.S. (from mom) Kayla dearest, you simply must write back to tell your father that he's worrying too much. I know you and Sonia are doing absolutely fine, and there's no reason to worry, right? Let us know if you've made any new friends, or if you need anything, and we'll be sure and get it for you. Love, Mom_

A smile was on Kayla's face at the obviousness of her father's ache for her, and she tucked it into her robes still grinning. A slight frown had come when she read Sonia's name, but she was sure whatever argument they were having would be resolved in due time. They hadn't fought often before, really, and she couldn't see any reason why they would now. The rest of breakfast passed in an amiable silence; Kayla had decided to keep stomping on Jake's foot just for the fun of it, and he had taken to returning the gesture. Only when she gave a loud howl of pain that caused Travis to look up in alarm while Jake's shoulders shook with silent laughter did they quit and decide to find the first year schedule so that they knew which classes to go to and when.

Their first class of the day was Transfiguration, which meant another encounter with Professor McGonagall. While Kayla was only too happy to include Travis in their group, Jake seemed to want to go about it a different way. He was decent to Travis, but he never allowed the other boy the opportunity to sit, walk, or stand next to Kayla. She didn't quite understand this, and when she pulled him aside to question him about it, he simply gave her a long, searching look, put a hand on her shoulder, and led them into class, where he allowed her to sit in between him and Travis. Kayla noticed a look in his eyes that she hadn't seen before – which, of course, she reminded herself, was normal due to the fact that she hadn't known him very long. It still seemed to her as though they had been friends for a very long time, though, and she felt that she ought to tell him so later. But not just then, for Professor McGonagall's very presence demanded complete silence.

Kayla surveyed the aging woman with respect and curiosity. She had heard enough about her from her father to sense that she wouldn't want to get in trouble with her, but also that the professor had a mostly just punishment system, and wouldn't treat her unfairly in any way. Now, as she called names, her voice cut across the room sharply, creating only the most attentive atmosphere from the students. When she called out Jake's name, he responded with only a grunt of a 'here', and the professor's eyes surveyed him disapprovingly. Being Jake, he glared right back at her, as if daring her to try and make him do more. She ignored him, however, and continued on with roll. When she got to Kayla's name, she looked up yet again, looking to be fighting the same battle not to smile Jake seemed to wage when she heard Kayla's extremely cheery 'Right over here!' Kayla beamed at the professor and received a nod; upon a look in Jake's direction, it appeared she had amused him greatly, but he wouldn't let himself smile. Professor McGonagall announced that they would need to pair up to practice turning matches into needles, and Jake's arm made a sudden, jerky movement in Kayla's direction before it remained where it had been on the desk. Kayla, on the other hand, boldly reached out and grabbed onto his sleeve. When she gave them permission to move about, she tugged him towards her and explained that she was going to help Travis find a partner and would be right back.

After Travis was partnered with a first year girl whom Kayla was sure she hadn't seen talking to Sonia, she returned to Jake's desk, where he had already retrieved two matches. When she took a seat next to him and grabbed her match, she noticed that his was still laying at the center of the table. When she looked up, he was engaging in a kind of staring contest with Professor McGonagall. They each seemed to be sizing each other up, challenging each other to something that Kayla knew nothing about. She reached over and poked Jake in the arm, but he did nothing except for give a grunt of acknowledgement.

"Jake, come on," she urged.

"Hang on a sec," he replied, narrowing his eyes at their professor, who mirrored him.

"No, Jake, now," Kayla insisted, tugging on his sleeve.

For a moment, he ignored her. Then, reluctantly, he turned to face her, nodded, and reached out for his match. Kayla figured that she was just going to have to get used to such strange behavior, and immediately set to work attempting to transfigure her match. She found that it was work in vain. Although by the end of the lesson she swore (loudly) that her match had become skinnier, nobody else was able to offer much consolation on the matter. Jake, especially, went to great lengths boasting that he saw no difference, whereas his had definitely become skinnier, and taken on a shiny, metallic color. Kayla threatened to rip his sleeve off, and he actually laughed. It surprised her so much that she became silent once more, and she noticed that Professor McGonagall was also looking extremely surprised.

In Charms, she found Professor Flitwick to be a friendly, fun teacher. Jake informed her that he reminded him of an overexcited mouse, but she ignored him, instead concentrating on levitating her feather high enough to drop on his head. By the end of class, she had actually achieved that, but they had both found that it was much easier to pick the feather up and blow it at each other, and thus they did. Professor Flitwick either took no notice or pretended not to, for they didn't get in trouble, although Sonia shot them several reproving looks and Travis took a few careful steps back, apparently not wanting to get "feathered."

By History of Magic, Kayla was in high spirits, and she was determined to take Jake with her, no matter now much he refrained from acting "happy". Professor Binns was every bit as boring as Kayla had heard, and she made no effort whatsoever to listen to him, instead shooting papers at the back of Jake's head, since he was sitting in front of her. A few times he tilted his chair back and looked at her upside-down, but this caused such a fit of giggles in her that he only did it once or twice. She didn't know if it was the way his hair fell when he did so, or perhaps the stern look he attempted to bring into his eyes, but something about Jake hanging upside down was just funny.

Lunch was a merry event for Kayla, Jake, and even Travis, whom Jake, in a bout of a good mood, had allowed to sit on the other side of Kayla. While Travis was a bit more laid-back, Kayla and Jake again began to try and beat each other to food, although this time they didn't knock anything over. Both were spurred on by the way Sonia tutted at them from across the table. Nearly the entire way through lunch, Kayla kept up chatter about the magical world once more, filling Jake in on anything he had become curious of so far. She had decided that Hogwarts was a very fine place to be, after all. The only thing that worried her were the sudden rounds of seeming depression that would come over Jake every once in a while. It was almost as if he realized that he were having fun, and would immediately withdraw, becoming stony, silent, and stern once more. After a bit of coaxing on Kayla's part, he usually came back into himself and joined in on the merriment once more, but he seemed to be consistently reprimanding himself for doing so, and Kayla couldn't figure out why. When Travis was safely talking to another first year girl, she decided to figure out why.

"Jake?" she asked, as sweetly as she could.

"Yes?" came the reply, in a vain attempt to sound uninterested.

"How come you don't like to smile?"

"How come you ask so many questions?"

"Because I want to know the answers."

Jake turned to her with a set face, although she could tell simply by looking at him that he was amused. He shook his head, turned back to his food, and began to eat once more. Kayla glanced over at Travis, who seemed to be pretending not to listen, and acted surprised to see her looking at him. She shook her head and turned to her food, as well, and she swore she saw him stifling a laugh out of the corner of her eye. There was only so long that Kayla could be silent, though, and after about two minutes, she had had enough.

"What class do we have next?" she asked, although she knew the answer perfectly well.

"Potions," Jake told her, although he knew that she knew the answer perfectly well.

"Smile, Jake," she said suddenly, poking him in the arm.

"No, thanks," was his answer, causing her to frown.

Upon seeing the half-pout on her face, he tilted his head. She gave him a pleading look, and, reluctantly, he smiled. It looked a bit like a grimace, but it was an effort nonetheless, and she beamed at him shamelessly, nearly diving in for a hug but realizing that she could very well knock him over the edge of the bench. Besides that, he looked very embarrassed at having to smile in front of Travis, who was still pretending not to have seen. Kayla was too fidgety to finish her lunch, despite the somewhat patronizing looks being thrown at her from both Jake and Travis as she tugged relentlessly at the tablecloth. When the bell rang as a signal for class, she practically vaulted out off the bench, causing Jake to jump and Travis to squeak as he leaned back to evade getting a faceful of wild curls.

The journey to Potions was spent with Kayla telling Travis and Jake in a hushed voice about her father's recounts of Professor Snape and his classes. Travis, who was having a hard time hearing due to the fact that Jake was no longer allowing him to stand next to Kayla, listened intently and gave his father's own accounts. These Kayla found a bit hard to believe, as her father had never mentioned anything about Snape stringing students up by their toes from the dungeon ceiling, but there was no need to tell Jake so – he didn't seem to believe anything Travis said anyway. When they finally entered the classroom, they lapsed into silence. The desks were set up in order to allow pairs only, and Travis immediately latched onto the girl that he had partnered with during Transfiguration. Kayla made a mental note to speak to that girl; she was being uncommonly nice to Travis, and she seemed to be the same to everyone else.

Kayla and Jake decided to sit in the back, across the aisle from Travis and the girl whose name Kayla had yet to learn. When Snape began to call names, Kayla began to squirm uncomfortably. Upon spying Jake's arm lying across the table, she grabbed onto his sleeve immediately, twisting it nervously despite the glares he sent her. She knew he didn't mean them anyway, and he had stopped sending them by the time Snape reached the P's. Now he looked slightly defensive, glaring at Snape for all he was worth even before he called Kayla's name. There came a large period of silence before the professor's silky voice cut through the musty air of the dungeons.

"Potter, Kayla?"

Kayla hadn't even opened her mouth to speak before his eyes locked onto her. She gave him a "here" that sounded so defiant she was surprised he didn't dock points from Gryffindor on the spot. Oh no, he seemed to have other things in mind.

"My, my, but we _do_ take after our father so," he murmured tauntingly as he surveyed her.

Kayla opened her mouth, perhaps to tell him that she didn't see anything wrong with that, but Jake stomped on her foot nearly as hard as she had on his during breakfast time, and she settled for a scowl in his direction. If anything, this seemed to intensify the dislike showing in his eye as he looked at her. After giving her a withering look, he continued to take roll. Unfortunately for him, Kayla wasn't nearly so easy to be rid of as dismissing with a look. She leaned close to Jake, still clutching at his sleeve fiercely.

"Jake, did you _see_ the way he looked at me?" she hissed into his ear, positively shaking with anger.

"Don't mess with him," Jake replied quietly, and more calmly than she would have expected him to.

"What do you _mean_ 'don't mess with him'?" she exclaimed quietly, "He's...he's asking for it!"

"Once you figure out what 'it' is, let me know," Jake retorted, "And I can tell you how stupid it is then."

Scowling and letting go his sleeve, Kayla turned away from him, not missing the exasperated sigh he gave. How dare he tell her not to mess with him? She wasn't going to mess with him, besides, she was going to get revenge. Not only for that infuriating look he had given her, but for everything he had done to her father. She was certain that once she told Jake the entire story he would agree and help her. But if not, she was perfectly capable of working alone. She did feel a bit disheartened as she looked at Travis, however, knowing that he wouldn't be able to help her. Perhaps that other girl, though? With that thought in mind, she successfully managed not to hear a word the Potions master was saying, and was only brought to attention when Jake nudged her much harder than he should have. She nearly yelled at him, but caught sight of Snape looking at her with a smirk on his face.

"Do you have an answer for us, Miss Potter?" he inquired politely.

"No," Kayla declared, tossing her head and sending her curls flying haphazardly about in the air before coming to a rest once more.

"And why is that?" Snape persisted.

_Because I wasn't listening to a word you were saying, you ugly git_, Kayla thought ferociously, intensifying her glare as much as she could muster. Her housemates were looking terrified for her life, whereas the Slytherins, whom they shared the class with, looked absolutely gleeful, Kabir included.

"Because I don't see fit to answer," she announced, angling her chin up in the air. Beside her, Jake's shoulders began to shake suspiciously.

"Five points from Gryffindor for defiance," Snape announced carelessly.

Kayla's face flushed with shame, not only because of losing points for her house, but because there was no way she could argue herself out of it. She had been defiant – and for good reason! The Slytherins snickered, and she was almost too afraid to meet her fellow Gryffindors' faces, but when she did, they were giving her encouraging looks that heartened her a bit. One of them even gave her a thumbs up, and Sonia looked distinctly proud. Feeling a bit better, she glanced over at Jake. When he caught her eye, his shoulders began to shake again and he put a hand to his mouth as he looked away. For the entire rest of the lesson, he refused to look her in the eye for reasons she couldn't fathom.

All in all, she thought she did fairly well without his help. Her potion was supposed to be a dark blue, and she managed something very close. When she brought it up to Snape's desk to turn it in he gave it a dubious look before putting on a smirk that she was sure looked extremely devious. She confided as much to Jake, even though he wasn't looking at her, and he ended up having to put his head on his desk, shaking for no reason that she could figure out. Giving up for the remainder of class, which was all of six minutes, she promised Travis they would meet him in the common room soon and dragged Jake down a hallway.

"Why wouldn't you look at me during class?" she demanded.

"Why do you think?" he retorted good-naturedly, "You were just too funny."

"I was _not_," she exclaimed hotly, "Nothing was funny. That evil...that infuriating...that..."

Shaking his head, Jake began to walk in the direction of Gryffindor tower. Kayla, unable to find words for what Snape was, trotted up beside him and latched onto his sleeve. They walked in a kind of amiable silence for a moment before Kayla decided something very important.

"Jake, we never decided when we were going to go to the Forbidden Forest."

"Yeah, well," he replied, stopping suddenly and causing Kayla to spring back from the end of his sleeve as if she were attached, "I'm gonna go get us some books for that History of Magic essay. I'll meet you in the common room in a few."

"What?" she exclaimed, "You have to answer me!"

"I did answer you," he replied, attempting fruitlessly to free his sleeve.

"You're being as infuriating as Snape!" she declared passionately.

"Guess you'll be letting go of my sleeve then, won't you?" he retorted smartly.

With a frown, she let go his sleeve and glared at him for all she was worth. He merely shot her a rare grin, reaching out to give one of her curls a tug before heading off in the direction of the library. For a moment, she was too surprised to do anything. Then she decided that Jake was much too complicated to think about and that she'd best be getting to the tower.

When she arrived in the common room it was packed. She picked her way through the crowd, trying both not to step on anyone's toes and not get her own stepped on, and she finally spotted Travis and the girl who had been so nice sitting on one of the couches, working on their homework. She almost intruded, but paused as she noted how well they seemed to be getting along. She knew that if she sat by them, Jake would, inevitably, join them, and he only seemed to make Travis nervous, so she chose a table by the window. There were four chairs, which was a mite too many, but that was perfectly all right. She used one for a footrest as she waited, and it wasn't long before Jake returned, a pile of books in tow.

The silence made Kayla fidgety, like it usually did, but Jake did nothing to alleviate it. He worked hard, an intense look in his eye the entire time, and Kayla was forced to do the same, minus the intensity. She found that the homework wasn't at all as easy as it had seemed. For how much effort it took to say "two foot parchment", it certainly took a lot to actually write it. Just as she finished, and, to her delight, saw Jake looking ready to talk, Sonia appeared at her side. While Jake shot her looks that as good as threatened death, Kayla regarded her cautiously. She really didn't want word getting to her parents that she and Sonia were in a fight, or no doubt they'd get much too worried. Besides that, she had never gotten angry with her cousin before, and wasn't eager to start fights.

"Could I talk to you, Kayla?" Sonia requested, "Alone?"

While she didn't exactly glare at Jake, she shot him a look out of the corner of her eye that came pretty close. Kayla looked from Sonia to Jake carefully, wondering if Jake would be too mad at her for going to talk to her. Finally, she decided that she really needed to get it sorted out, and began to gather up her things.

"Alright, Sonia, I'll meet you in the dorms in a few," she said pointedly.

Sonia took the hint and left, leaving Kayla with a Jake that was sending waves of anger in her direction.

"Oh Jake, calm down," she told him, "My parents will freak out if Sony and I fight, and I want to try and stop it. If she says one bad thing about you, though, my parents will just have to deal with it."

The last part was said with so much gusto that Jake seemed to instantly forgive her, relaxing in his chair a good bit. After promising to meet him after she was done with her cousin, she dashed up the stairs. Little did she know how long dealing with Sonia was going to take. The instant she entered the dormitory, she regretted it. Sonia began not to yell, but to positively shriek about Jake. Kayla was forced to sit on her bed in an angry silence until she, too, added to the yells.

"I just don't know what's wrong with you, Kayla!" Sonia was declaring, "You-"

"I _what_?" Kayla demanded, jumping up, "What, Sonia, what's wrong with me? I make friends? You're just jealous, that's what you are!"

"Why would I be _jealous_?" Sonia demanded.

"Because you can't make friends!" Kayla screamed in reply, so frustrated that her face began to heat up.

"I can't believe you would say something like that!" Sonia cried, now looking hurt, "It's ever since you started hanging out with _him_."

"Oh, honestly, Sonia, that's only been for two days, how could you notice?" Kayla answered sharply, "Why don't you give me the real reason you don't like him?"

"Because he's stealing you!" Sonia cried.

"That's ridiculous!" Kayla shouted, "Get a grip, Sonia! You could've hung out with us, but no, you had to go picking a fight!"

"No, Kayla, _he_ was supposed to be the one that could've hung out with _us_," Sonia argued passionately, "Since when are you and him more a pair of friends than you and me? You hardly even know him!"

"That doesn't matter!" Kayla practically screamed, stomping her foot in impatience, "He's not – he doesn't – some people are just _friends_, Sonia, it just happens. They don't need to be locked up together for eleven years to do it!"

"So that's how you feel, is it?" Sonia screeched, "Fine, Kayla, just fine!"

"Fine!" Kayla yelled at the top of her lungs, "Fine yourself, Sonia!"

As Sonia huffed her way to the bathrooms, Kayla stomped out the door and down the stairs, where Jake was in the exact same chair as he had been before she had left. Nearly everyone in the common room looked at her as she emerged, and she knew that the argument must've been audible to them, but she didn't care. Tossing her head and shooting daggers at everyone who dared to stare at her, she stalked over to her previous seat across from Jake and plopped into it, fuming.

"I take it didn't go the way you planned?" Jake asked, as if he were commenting on the weather.

"Ooh, she just...she just...make me wanna...ooh," Kayla fumed.

When she looked up at Jake, he was looking at her amusedly. It only seemed to be helped when she looked up, and he suddenly looked as if he were holding in a laugh.

"What?" she snapped irritably.

"Nothing, nothing," he assured her. At her look, he raised an eyebrow and continued, "It's just your hair, that's all."

"What about it?" she growled.

"Matches your attitude, that's all," he answered cryptically.

Giving a sigh of impatience, she decided not to pay her hair any notice and contented herself with starting a staring contest with Jake. She lost. As punishment, she refused to look at him for five minutes straight. Yet, she felt his eyes on her the entire time, until she was forced to look back out of sheer curiosity. He had an extremely triumphant gleam in his eye, and she knew he had been doing it on purpose.

"I hate you," she told him.

To her surprise, he grinned and leaned forward over the table. With a smirk on his face, he replied, "I hate you too, Kayla Potter. Game of chess?"

Against her will, she felt her face forming into a smile. She nodded grudgingly, but when he came back with a board of muggle chess, she immediately decided that it would do to have him play with her wizarding chess set. After he got past his rapt fascination with the moving pieces and had quite a conversation with one of the knights, they began to play. By the end of the match, Kayla was frowning once more, and Jake grinning.

She had lost. Again.


	5. The World Goes On

**Chapter Four – The World Goes On**

Three weeks into her stay at Hogwarts and Kayla was a fairly confident first year. Her desire to meet and talk to people had proved a highly useful tool in making "connections". In fact, Kayla had already had the privilege of being introduced to the Head Girl. The blonde girl who had been so nice to Travis proved to be one of the sweetest people Kayla had ever met, and her older sister just happened to be Hogwarts' Head Girl. The two were Lila and Evette Westere, Lila being in Kayla's year and Evette the Head Girl. Of course, her introduction had been brief, but notable all the same. Now she found that, other than Sonia, most of the first and even second year girls held her in a kind of respect; as if she had gained authority simply from being seen chatting with Evette in the common room.

Since her first day, not too many changes had been made socially. She, Travis, Jake, and Lila often traveled together throughout the castle, although when it came to pairs it was undeniably her and Jake alongside Travis and Lila. Kayla had to admit, she rather liked it that way. Travis and Lila were both undeniably sweet and agreeable, and, truth be told, she was often thankful for the retreat they provided from Jake's stoic attitude. There was just something about Jake that intrigued her, though. Perhaps it was the fact that she was the only one who could coax him into smiling, whereas most others' attempts left him simply glowering. Or perhaps it was the way he was the only one who could shock her into silence by saying the very thing that was on her mind. Either way, she knew that he appreciated her as she did him, and therefore nothing was ever said on the subject, since words didn't seem to be of much importance.

Letters from her parents were not scarce; and she wasted no time in writing back to them. There had been a bit of a rocky start when Sonia had apparently alerted her parents to the dilemma between herself and Kayla, but Kayla had quickly assured her parents of the situation, including giving her father many details of Jake, whom he seemed to be very suspicious of. In the end, both her mother and her father stopped badgering her about Sonia, and Sonia was in worse spirits than ever over it. Kayla had found her father to be much more capable of being sentimental than she had suspected; he often wrote things that surprised her, like how he stopped by her bedroom every morning and never failed to be surprised that an abundance of jet black curls didn't cover the pillow.

Now, however, apart from the norm of homework, she had already found herself at Hagrid's door numerous times, all the while trying desperately to convince both him and Jake to accompany her to the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid flatly refused, whereas Jake merely looked thoughtful, but not stirred to action. Today, though, was a perfectly wonderful Saturday, and she was determined to convince him to go with her. Her curls were still wet from the shower as she bounced down the stairs, her eyes eagerly scanning the room for Jake. He was sitting by the window, looking out with a distant expression. Pity she was going to ruin it for him. She ran up and plopped into the seat next to him, causing him to give a slight jump before throwing a reproving glance in her direction.

"Jake, look," she said, pointing out the window, "Doesn't it look _perfect_?"

But Jake was not to be fooled. "Perfect for what?" he asked suspiciously.

"The Forbidden Forest, Jake, we have to explore it still!" Kayla insisted, putting a hand on his arm urgently, "And look how perfect it is! Sunny, but not too bright, a slight breeze, but not too windy, and one of the _last days_ we can go before winter, when it'll be too cold but I'll drag you out anyway cause it'll be your own fault that you didn't go _today_."

Run-on sentences were something that Kayla had very much mastered, and she could speak for a very extended amount of time without pausing for breath. While she appreciated the talent, as it gave little room for interruption, it seemed to take Jake a few seconds to process all that she had said. Then again, he might have simply been being his thoughtful self. His gaze was still out the window, only this time focused on the forest below. Finally, he turned to her. It was evident that he had made a decision, but Kayla couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what it was.

"All right," he said finally, "We'll go."

Kayla gave a squeal of delight and jumped up out of her chair, spraying Jake with droplets that flew from the tips of her curls. He grimaced as he wiped his face, frowning at her as she grabbed his arm and tugged him upwards.

"I didn't mean right now!" he protested, "We still have to eat breakfast."

"But Jake, this is so much more exciting than breakfast," Kayla sighed happily, a dreamy expression on her face, "This is...wonderful!"

"Yes, well, you need a full stomach to do something so wonderful," he replied, sounding utterly unfazed, "Or at least I do."

"What's so wonderful?" questioned a voice from behind them.

Kayla and Jake both turned, and their facial expressions could not have varied more. Kayla broke into a delighted grin at the sight of Travis and Lila looking expectantly at them, but Jake seemed much more displeased. Far from being as relaxed as he had been in Kayla's presence, he stiffened, regarding them with vague suspicion. Just as Jake replied with a dry, "Nothing", Kayla answered with "Everything." Yet, as different as their answers were, Kayla swore she saw a smile of amusement in Jake's eyes when she looked up at him.

"Oh, don't mind Jake, he's just being himself," she told them, grabbing a hold of Jake's sleeve and beginning to pull him towards the portrait hole, "Come, have breakfast with us!"

Jake gave a barely audible groan, and Kayla had to hide her smile. She didn't understand Jake's inability to be civil to other people, but she thought it quite amusing. As the small group of first years traveled down the hallway, Jake was the only one who refrained from speaking. In the meantime, Kayla, Lila, and Travis chatted up a storm. It was only when the passing of the girls' bathroom came did disaster strike. Lila stopped suddenly, causing Travis to stop, causing Kayla to stop, causing Jake to drag her forward a few steps before realizing that she was attached to his sleeve.

"Afraid I have to make a stop," Lila said cheerfully, "Won't you come with me, Kayla? We'll meet you boys in the Great Hall."

It was hard to tell which of the three she had addressed had a more horrified expression. Kayla quickly recovered herself from her initial shock at having to leave Jake alone with Travis. Jake, on the other hand, didn't recover nearly so quickly. He looked from Lila to Travis with an astonished expression, finally turning an almost pleading gaze on Kayla. Travis looked fearful for his life; the look he gave Kayla was definitely pleading. But Kayla didn't see a way to tell Lila know so she let go Jake's sleeve, gave him a warning pat on his arm, and threw both boys a mock cheery smile as she followed Lila into the bathroom. She had a distinctly bad feeling about the entire situation.

Once inside, she chose to lean boredly against the wall as she waited for Lila; she knew the most girls liked to travel together, but she had never really seen the reason for a bathroom buddy. Of course, that was mostly because she wasn't really accustomed to one. She had always went with her father to town, and, of course, he couldn't follow her into the bathrooms, so she was quite on her own. Lila did seem to have something else in mind, though, as she washed her hands. Kayla watched her with a touch of curiosity. The girl's blue-violet eyes reflected great thoughtfulness, and she nearly missed the paper towels to dry her hands. Sure enough, she didn't head for the door when she was done. Instead, she turned her gaze to Kayla.

"My sister said the Gryffindor girls were going to have a party," she began slowly, "They're not inviting many first years...well, only me, actually...but I wouldn't want to go alone..."

Kayla was never one to go in a roundabout fashion, so she produced a blunt question with ease. "Are you inviting me to go with you?" she asked casually.

Immediately Lila's features showed relief. "Oh yes, Kayla, I really would like that!" she said fervently, smiling.

Kayla couldn't help but return the gesture, although one question did puzzle her, which she didn't hesitate to ask. "Why me, though?" she mused, "I mean, you have lots of friends, and me...well, I'm just me."

"Oh no you're not, Kayla," Lila protested, looking shocked that Kayla would think such a thing, "You're cheerful, and fun to be around, and I just...well, I just like you, Kayla."

Kayla couldn't help but feel very much uplifted by this description of herself coming from Lila, although she knew that Lila was generous beyond the norm and could very well just be saying it. She couldn't help but feel as if Lila were being sincere, though, if not only by the look in the other girl's eye. With a grin, she stepped forward and linked her arm through Lila's as she steered them out of the bathroom.

"You know something, Lila, I really like you, too," she informed her, "I think our only job now is to get the boys to get along."

"Oh dear," Lila replied amusedly, causing Kayla to give a giggle.

Kayla was also wondering how she would get Jake and Lila to get along, but she didn't say that out loud for a number of reasons. The first and foremost was that she found it highly unlikely that they ever would. Jake was so silent that it could be unnerving; Lila so sweetly naïve that she often did get unnerved by his silence. Kayla had to admit, though, it was nice to have a friend whom she could talk to and get replies that were longer than three words from. She wouldn't trade Jake for the world, but she couldn't deny that he could sometimes be very trying on her patience. She was drawn from her thoughts abruptly when the two girls reached the entrance of the Great Hall.

There, in the middle of the room, stood Jake, Travis, Kabir, and one of his friends, another first year Slytherin by the name of Trent Cooper. That wasn't what had caused Kayla's mouth to drop open, though. Travis sat on the floor, nose pouring blood. Jake stood facing Kabir and Cooper, all three of them with their fists up. The staff table was nearly abandoned, except for whom Kayla had heard was the batty Divination teacher, who was pouring cream into her coffee without a care in the world. There was dead silence in the hall, and Jake's stern words didn't go unheard by anyone.

"Only cowards pick on those weaker and more defenseless than themselves," he growled.

Kabir gave an echoing laugh, and Kayla drew in a breath, not realizing that she was holding it. "And what're you going to do about it, Lawson?"

"Unfortunately, I'd get expelled if I didn't let you get away with your life," Jake replied evenly, "But I'll bring you within an inch."

"Go."

The word was so unexpected coming from Kabir's mouth that it caught everyone by surprise when Cooper, who looked to be nearly two times Jake's superior in muscle, lunged forward and delivered him a neat blow to the side of the head. A scream echoed through the hall, and Kayla didn't realize that it had been her own even as she broke free of Lila and began to run forward as fast as she could. Cooper took no notice of her, advancing on Jake once more, but Kabir did.

"Hey, Trent," he said, nudging his friend, "Tr-Cooper! Watch it!"

Kayla was hell bent on throttling Cooper, and nothing was going to stop her. Except for the fact that Kabir stepped in the way at the last moment. It was of no matter. She'd get him first. She jumped at him, determined to at least knock him over.

"Kayla!" Jake's voice was sharp, cutting, but even it didn't prepare her for the impact she felt when the air was suddenly knocked out of her due to a blow in the stomach.

She stumbled backwards, vision blurred, but when it cleared, she almost wished she hadn't seen what she did. Jake gave a roar of fury and jumped on Kabir much in the same fashion she had meant to. The two went crashing to the ground, Jake nothing but a flurry of fists.

"You...don't...hit...her," he growled, landing a blow to Kabir with every word, "You...don't...touch...her."

Something had happened. Something had triggered a change in Jake that terrified Kayla. His eyes, usually indifferent, were glittering with rage and malice, narrowed into hard slits. Anger radiated from him as heat did a fire, and there was no stopping the blows he landed to Kabir's head and chest. Kabir didn't simply lay on the ground, however. He threw blows in Jake's direction, but Jake seemed as unfazed as if Kabir was merely tapping him lightly on the chest, rather than punching him with all the strength he could muster. For a moment, Kayla sat and watched, too scared of Jake to try and break them up. The Divination professor was carefully pouring syrup onto her waffles. Finally, Kayla reached out and caught Jake by the wrist, wincing as he gave Kabir one last blow to the face before realizing that she had a grip on him. He turned to her, panting and practically shaking with rage, and she felt a bit like cowering.

"That's enough, Jake," she said instead, her voice so quiet it was a wonder he heard her.

He stood up, but when Cooper made a move to help Kabir up, he took it as a threat and turned on the other boy, fists raised. Cooper backed away, apparently not stupid enough to try and pick a fight. Kabir had a bloody lip and the beginnings of two black eyes, and Jake was clutching at his side where Kabir had landed a particularly mean blow, a trickle of blood pouring from a cut on his cheek. Kayla had to literally pull him away from the scene. He didn't look at her; his eyes stayed fixed on Kabir the whole time, and he allowed himself to be dragged backwards towards the exit. The Great Hall was already buzzing with information, but Kayla was deaf to it. She paused as she saw Travis and Lila sitting down, Lila helping Travis tend to his nose, which had stopped bleeding, but looked a mess.

"Bring Jake some breakfast," Kayla said shortly as she passed them.

She mentioned nothing of herself because she wasn't thinking of it. She was thinking only of Kabir and Jake, and the hatred in each of their eyes. She had half a mind to go and punch Kabir again, but Jake had done a nice job of it already. Only when they were in the hallway did Jake wrench his wrist from her grip and began to walk forward, a stony expression on his face. Kayla did nothing to regain her hold on him, but merely walked in silence with him to the Gryffindor common room, her head nothing but a flurry of thoughts. She still had no idea why Kabir had apparently hit Travis in the first place, and she really didn't have a clue what had wrought such a change in Jake. A change that frightened her, that made her afraid to reach out and grab onto his sleeve for comfort. So she wrung her hands together pointlessly until they reached the common room. The few students that had been unfortunate enough not to have seen the fight guessed what had happened when Kayla, hair askew and biting her lip stepped in with Jake, blood running down his face and clutching at his side, breathing heavily.

Kayla and Jake ignored them. Kayla knew that Jake was in his own world at the moment, and she was hesitant to interrupt that. But she did. She reached out and gingerly grabbed onto his sleeve. The look he shot her was icy and cold, but she ignored that, as well, as she led him towards the first year boys' dorms. She reached out for the door and swung it open; realizing with relief that nobody was inside. Jake, however, stopped when she tried to take a step in. She turned to look at him to see that he was staring fixedly at a point just above her shoulder.

"You're a girl," he stated finally.

"Oh, very good, Jake," she replied coldly, "And you're a boy. Care to point out any other obvious facts?"

He looked highly affronted at her behavior, and followed her in with no further argument. Kayla had no idea how to act a nurse, no matter if her mother had a degree in Healing or not. The thought made her very nervous, and she drew in deep breaths as she tried to gather her surroundings.

"Go...sit on your bed," she said finally, "Your...your ribs aren't broken, are they?"

The nervousness in her voice at that last statement made Jake smile, a fact that she found infuriating. "Nah, I wouldn't have been able to walk all the way up here if they were," he answered coolly, strolling off towards a bed.

Kayla couldn't help but feel that he was teasing her, and she didn't see what was so funny. She knew that going to Madam Pomfrey would only result in the both of them getting in trouble; although they were sure to already, what with the rumors spreading about. For now, though, she just wanted to figure out what had happened in the first place. She got a warm, wet rag and adjourned to where Jake was. He watched her closely, but didn't speak a word as she sat down in front of him, turned his face slightly to the side, and began to tend to his wound. Kayla wished more fervently than ever that he did things such as talking.

"What happened?" she asked finally.

"You didn't see?" came his sarcastic reply.

"You know what I mean," she snapped, pressing into his wound a bit harder than she had meant to and making him wince. "Sorry, it's just...what started it?" she corrected herself.

"He made fun of Travis," Jake shrugged, "Called him weak, inferior. Told him he took after his father. Travis wanted to fight, but I told him not to. The snake threw a couple of insults our way concerning you and your parents, and Travis tried to punch him. He didn't have a chance. Cooper socked him good in the nose. I was ready to fight. Knew it was gonna happen. It would've been fine, Kayla, if you hadn't jumped in like that. I would've been able to control it. Why'd you do it?"

Kayla couldn't help but be shocked at the fact that he was blaming it on _her_. She had only tried to help him, to avenge him. Certainly he appreciated it!

"Jake, I wanted to help you!" she exclaimed, "You...you're saying it's _my_ fault? That you...you got so...so..."

"So what?" he challenged, eyes narrowing.

Kayla couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear at the look he was giving her. She had never been scared of him before – but now, after she had seen the way he had fought, the hatred in his eyes, she couldn't help it. "Scary, Jake," she whispered, "You were really scary."

His eyes filled with something Kayla had never seen before. Regret. Plain and simple, that was what it was. "I don't want to scare you, Kayla," he said quietly, "Everyone else I don't mind, but not you."

Kayla didn't understand, and she didn't try to sort out his words. She lowered the rag she had been using, her eyes searching his imploringly. "Why?" It was a simple question, but it held so much worth.

His answer, as usual, didn't come right away. He looked away from her, as if trying to get the answer from another place. "I don't know," he professed finally.

Kayla could tell he was sincere, and she appreciated it. She just didn't know what to make of it. Frowning slightly, she raised the rag to his cheek once more, although it was nearly clean. She was silent, and she knew that Jake would only be too happy to be the same. But, to her great surprise, he wasn't. He began to speak, and it was altogether more than she had ever heard him talk at once.

"I've always been a fighter. It's the only way to get food. I studied with a 'master' for a long time when I was a child. When I was ready to fight, I was very ready. I was ten. I'm not big or strong, but I'm fast and agile, and I pack a lot of punch when I want to. The neighborhood kids hire me to beat someone up for them, and I do. I do, or I starve. It's amazing how far you can keep going when you're hungry. You become nothing but an empty stomach, ready to brave all for a piece of bread. I became a fighting machine. If anything stood still long enough and posed a threat, I'd beat it. I tried to overcome it. I came close. But sometimes I just snap. It's too much. I hate it."

With that, he fell silent, leaving Kayla with a torrent of questions flooding her mind. She wasn't wholly sure what he was talking about, but she immediately got the impression that, up until now, his childhood hadn't been very good. His parents weren't mentioned, but the fact that he had to get his own food was. She met his eyes to find that they were very different than they ever had been before. They were open, professing pain and longing. It was the latter that caught Kayla's attention. She blinked, wondering if it would disappear when she did so. It didn't. She opened her mouth to speak, but he did first.

"You're the only one that's ever cared, Kayla. The only one who's tried to help me. Don't give up on me, because I'm trying. Please."

And now her throat constricted, her brain telling her to do a thousand things at once. To hug him, to tell him that she wouldn't give up on him. To ask him more questions. To cry. To cry for a very long time for whatever Jake had been through, since he didn't seem able to himself. Unable to speak, she scooted forward and put her arms around him. He stiffened momentarily, but after a moment laid his head on her shoulder. He relaxed. It was so amazing in itself that Kayla thought, for a moment, that she must be imagining all this. She must be imagining the fact that Jake had willingly asked for her help, that he had said more than he had in the past three weeks put together.

"Don't worry, Jake," she whispered finally, "It'll be all right. Everything will. You'll see."

He gave a bark of laughter that was muffled by her curls. "So optimistic," he commented.

"No, Jake, it's the truth," Kayla insisted, hugging him harder, "Trust me."

"I'll try," he replied quietly. That statement was quickly followed by one much less emotional. "Your hair is wet."

Rolling her eyes, Kayla pulled away from him, regaining her former seat in front of him. He looked at her for a good while before adding, "I never said that was bad."

She grinned, and leaned forward to hug him once more, but the door opened and she quickly bounced back to her former position in order to see who was entering. It was Lila and Travis, who now looked very cleaned-up and altogether healthy. They carried with them two plates of breakfast piled with scrambled eggs, pancakes and syrup, bacon, and Travis carried four glasses; two with milk, and two with orange juice. It was a miracle he hadn't spilled them yet. Kayla couldn't help but reach for her plate with astonishing quickness, causing Lila and Travis to smile. No questions were asked; Travis and Lila took a seat on the bed opposite and waited patiently as Kayla and Jake ate.

Kayla had decided, by that time, that she was very much responsible for Jake. If she was the only one who had tried to help him, then she had better do a good job of it. And if he was going to try and trust her, she was going to try and make herself trustable. She wasn't sure how to go about it; apparently she had been doing a good job already, but she knew she could improve. She glanced up from her meal and met his eye, and was surprised to find that he was looking at her differently. Not with as much indifference as he usually did. It was there, three weeks into her first year and sitting atop his bed eating breakfast that Jake became her absolute best friend. It was then, right in front of Travis and Lila, that Kayla silently vowed her loyalty to him. And somehow, she felt that he reciprocated her feelings exactly. She couldn't explain it, and she didn't try, but she somehow knew that she and Jake were now very much a unit of their own.

She pondered on what had brought them to become such good friends in such a short amount of time, especially with Jake...well, the way he was, and herself the way she was. They were complete opposites, and yet they understood each other, and had formed an alliance quickly. Kayla had never known a friendship as such; with her and Sonia, it had always been based on the moment, where they would join in making fun of something, or laughing at something, or even crying at something. It had all been shared emotions. It was so different with Jake; she couldn't even tell what he was thinking half the time, and the other half they were feeling the complete opposite of each other. And yet, they had become an unlikely duo. Kayla's thoughts went unhindered until Lila spoke up. The other girl's voice was quiet and apologetic, as if she didn't want to startle anyone out of their reverie.

"McGonagall came into the hall as we were leaving, and a bunch of students practically mobbed her trying to tell her what happened."

"And I bet it's all exaggerated," Kayla sighed.

"It probably didn't help that most of the people were Slytherins," Travis added unhelpfully.

Kayla turned her gaze to Jake to see him glaring at Travis. He turned and caught her eye, and returned to his breakfast when she gave him a reproachful look. Her mind was elsewhere, though. She had tried to fight, but what if the reports didn't include her? What if they only included Jake? She couldn't let him go without her, not after she'd promised to help him. Perhaps that hadn't been exactly what he was talking about, but it was close enough. And right at that moment, she began hoping fervently that the tales included her punching Kabir right smack in the nose. Because it would be a lovely rumor that she would be only too happy to encourage, and it would allow her to accompany Jake in whatever punishment he was undoubtedly going to have. She didn't have to wait long. The door burst open to reveal none other than Evette Westere herself, looking utterly beside herself.

"McGonagall's coming!" she hissed, "Out of the dorms, all of you, and hide the food!"

The four moved with such haste that Travis managed to knock over the goblet Jake had placed on the nightstand; luckily, only a few drops of milk spilt out and Jake didn't have any time to terrify the other boy with a glare. Kayla grabbed a hold of Jake's sleeve and tore out of the dorms behind Lila and Travis. The four of them dashed into the common room and jumped onto the couch. When the portrait hole opened to reveal Professor McGonagall, they were sitting neatly side by side, each of them staring straight ahead. When she stepped into the room, everyone silenced. She strode in front of them and fixed Jake, in particular, with a stern look. To Kayla's delight, the professor also threw one in her direction.

"Mr. Lawson, Miss Potter," she said stiffly, "Please follow me to the Headmistress' office."

At the rate Kayla jumped off the couch, it must have looked very much as if she thought she was going to a tea party. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow, and Kayla tried to look as if she were in trouble. Jake got up slowly and the two followed the professor out of the Gryffindor common room. Kayla latched onto Jake's sleeve, as was customary by then, and they followed her in silence. As they walked, Jake slowly leaned towards Kayla, so as to not attract attention.

"You're crazy," he whispered quietly, "I'm telling her that nothing's your fault."

"No," she protested, trying very hard not to let Professor McGonagall hear her, "I want to stay with you, Jake, to help you. You can't make me leave."

For a moment, he looked about to reproach her. He seemed to think the better of it, however, and instead gave her a look of unmistakable gratitude. She beamed in reply, happy with both herself and Jake. In what seemed like moments, they were in front of what her father had unmistakably described to her as the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Now, though, it housed a different occupant. Audra Moore – what would she be like, Kayla wondered. She hoped that she would at least be half as interesting and kind as Dumbledore. She reached out and grabbed onto Jake's sleeve, clutching tightly lest they be separated. He made no acknowledgement of her whatsoever, but perhaps that in itself was a sign.

"Phoenix feathers."

Kayla and Jake exchanged a glance as Professor McGonagall spoke what was undeniably the password. It sent chills up Kayla's spine – she knew how her father had always liked phoenixes. And up the spiral staircase they went, after Professor McGonagall. By the time they reached the top, it was all Kayla could do not to dance in place, now tugging on Jake's sleeve so hard that he had completely surrendered it to her rather than go against her firm grasp. After a smart rap on the door, it suddenly swung open. Professor McGonagall shooed them in and proceeded to leave, shutting the door behind her.

The room was circular and more spacey than her father had ever described it to be; everything seemed to be in a neat, precise order. The window sported neat crimson-and-white checkered curtains, and the shelves all looked to have been dusted very recently. The books that aligned them were, Kayla realized at once, in alphabetical order. Everything seemed to have a purpose, a place. Nothing that Kayla could see didn't look neat and orderly. Even the headmistress herself.

Audra Moore sat behind her neatly arranged desk, hands folded neatly in her lap. Chocolate-colored hair was pulled into a concise ponytail, leaving not a wisp out of place. Kayla momentarily realized what her own hair must look like, in contrast. Bright blue eyes peered interestedly at both her and Jake from beneath long, auburn lashes. Mouth set in a prim line, but without the same sternness McGonagall possessed, she looked very businesslike, reminding Kayla a bit of Sonia's mother. She was dressed in robes of a midnight blue, each fold looking as if it had been carefully designed and placed in just the right spot. After she had surveyed Kayla and Jake, she suddenly spoke, lifting one arm up in a graceful wave and producing two wooden chairs with a cushioned seat and back.

"Please, have a seat," she said smoothly, returning her hand to it's previous folding position.

Jake immediately did as he was told, but Kayla scooted her chair closer to his before obeying orders. Professor Moore observed her with amusement, a smile playing at her lips.

"Well, I assume you both know the charges on which you've been brought," she stated suddenly, her voice quiet and firm.

Jake gave a gruff nod, but Kayla definitely wasn't a girl of so few words. Eager to redeem herself and Jake, she immediately launched into an explanation.

"Oh yes, Professor Moore, we were fighting," she assured the headmistress, "But it's all Kabir's fault, because he made fun of Travis...and me I suppose, and Travis tried to fight back, but then Kabir's friend Cooper punched him in the nose, and Jake tried to defend him and Kabir made Cooper attack Jake, and I tried to jump on Cooper but Kabir got in the way and punched me in the stomach and Jake got mad at him for doing that and fought with him but it's definitely not Jake's fault!"

With that run-on sentence off her chest, Kayla breathed deeply, looking in earnest at the headmistress. The last few words had been emphasized very greatly, since she was keen on getting the point that Jake wasn't to blame across. Jake looked at her with a kind of fascinated disbelief, and the corners of Professor Moore's mouth quirked upwards.

"Thank you for explaining, Miss Potter," she said gently, a smile now revealed.

Kayla nodded, instinctively reaching out for Jake's sleeve once more. Professor Moore reached for a packet of papers on her desk, pulling them in front of her and glancing at them before directing her gaze back up to Jake and Kayla.

"I can assure you that Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Cooper have been given suitable punishments for their instigation and participation in the fight," she said quietly, her gaze flickering to each of them in turn, "However, you both have been reported as fighting, and the school rules say that I must hand out a punishment, as well as send a letter to both of your parents."

Kayla's heart stopped beating momentarily. Oh no – her parents would not be pleased with reports of a fight. Jake, on the other hand, seemed much more upset about it. He sat bolt upright and yanked his sleeve out of Kayla's grasp, instead enfolding her hand in a very tight, nervous grip. She winced as her fingers were squeezed together, but didn't say or do anything to prevent it.

"Please Professor," he stammered uncertainly, "I can't – my parents – please don't. They'll take me away, and when I get home..."

His gaze, which had been pleading at first, suddenly hardened, as if he had realized that he had said too much. He let go of Kayla's hand and slumped back into his chair, falling silent once more. Kayla tilted her head curiously at him. She thought he had been doing awfully well, for a moment there. But she also knew that if he went home, something bad would happen. She had seen as much from his expression.

"Please, Professor Moore," she chimed in, "Please don't send for Jake's parents. He's my best friend, and I couldn't bear for him to leave. Please?"

Professor Moore gave Jake a long, calculating look before she acknowledged Kayla. For a moment, Kayla quivered under the gaze, her hand grasping Jake's wrist. When the Professor's face broke into a smile, she let out a long, relieved breath. Professor Moore stood up and clasped her hands together, looking to be making a last-minute decision.

"Very well, Mr. Lawson, but you'll have to be accepting extra punishment," she said.

Jake nodded silently, and Kayla's face fell. "But no, Professor," she pleaded, "Can't I have extra punishment, too? If I get in another fight, maybe? I'd love to give Kabir a good kick up the..."

Jake's hand on her arm silenced her, as did Professor Moore's look. The headmistress looked to be fighting some sort of inner battle, and Kayla was eager to have whatever side that agreed with her win. Finally, Professor Moore seemed to make up her mind.

"Loyalty to one's friends is a very valuable trait, Miss Potter," she announced solemnly, "And for that reason, I grant your request."

Kayla beamed at her, nodding frantically. Jake rolled his eyes, obviously unable to fathom how receiving extra punishment could make her so happy. Professor Moore smiled at the two of them for a moment in a rather reminiscent way before giving a small sigh of contentment. Kayla couldn't imagine why unless the headmistress duly enjoyed giving out punishments, but she didn't say anything.

"Well, you two will receive word of your punishments via owl," she said finally, "Stay out of fights in the meantime, won't you?"

"We'll try," Kayla assured her, standing up and pulling Jake toward the door with her.

She couldn't be sure, but just as she closed it, she swore she heard a peal of laughter coming from within the room. Choosing not to debate on it, she turned her gaze to Jake, who had an odd expression on his face, as if he were trying to hold something in.

"What is it?" she prompted eagerly.

"I just-"he began, but he paused, the corners of his mouth twitching dangerously. After a moment's battle, his face finally broke into a genuine grin. "You're insane, you know that? Why'd you go and get yourself more punishment?"

"I didn't want you to have to do it all alone!" Kayla exclaimed, astonished that he would even ask.

He eyed her amusedly out of the corner of his eye. "Like I said, you're insane," he repeated.

Kayla was silent for a moment, pondering the meaning of his words. Finally, she asked, "Is that a good thing?"

As was common for Jake, he stayed silent for a while before answering. When he did, he wasn't smiling, but Kayla could tell he was in a good mood. "You know, I think it is," he told her.

She beamed as they neared the portrait. She had hoped he would say that. Now, she definitely needed to write her father and tell him what had happened.


End file.
